Hearing in Depp-Heard divorce case delayed

LOS ANGELES — A judge delayed the start of a restraining order hearing involving Johnny Depp and his estranged wife Amber Heard because it is expected to span several days.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carl H. Moor ruled Tuesday that the hearing will begin Aug. 17, two days later than planned. Moor ordered the delay after concluding the hearing on Heard's allegations that Depp physically abused her could take up to five days.

The restraining order was granted in May in connection with the couple's acrimonious divorce. Depp has been ordered to stay away and not contact his estranged wife, and the hearing could extend that order for several years.

Heard accused Depp of repeatedly hitting her before and during their 18-month marriage; she claimed he threw a cellphone during a fight in their Los Angeles home in May, although the Los Angeles police who went to their downtown loft said they found no evidence of crime when they arrived.

Depp's lawyer Laura Wasser said the actor wants the divorce resolved as soon as possible. Earlier, in court documents responding to Heard's initial request for a restraining order, Wasser alleged that Heard "is attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse."

Heard's lawyer, Samantha Spector, does not return reporters' calls or emails.

According to People, US Weekly and TMZ, among others, Heard was scheduled to sit for a deposition in the case over the weekend, and Depp is scheduled to be deposed Wednesday.

While their legal teams huddle over a possible settlement, both sides have begun filing documents covering their witness and exhibit lists for the restraining order hearing, including plans to friends and employees as witnesses, and present medical records, photos and alleged videos and recordings of the couple in their home.