Amber Heard's friend barred from courtroom during defamation trial

One of Amber Heard's friends was reportedly kicked out of the courtroom during her trial against Johnny Depp on Thursday.

An insider told editors at Page Six that journalist Eve Barlow, who has apparently acted as part of the actress's legal team during the legal proceedings, was told to leave by Judge Penney S. Azcarate.

After Gina Deuters gave testimony in defence of Depp, Barlow allegedly asked Heard's legal team to show Judge Azcarate that Deuters was compromised as a witness.

Deuters admitted she had seen clips of the trial before giving testimony, was dismissed, and her previous statements were struck from the record.

Depp's lawyers responded by pushing a motion to have Barlow barred from the courtroom too, which the judge approved.

"Amber had her closest journalist friend sit front and centre - with her legal team - at the trial, live-tweeting, texting and posting information," the source said. "Eve Barlow seems to think she's part of Amber's legal team. Depp's lawyers finally had enough and had her barred from the courtroom."

Barlow's use of her phone was also an issue.

According to court transcripts obtained by Page Six, the judge noted Barlow's removal.

"She was tweeting live from my courtroom ... and I know the deputies took her out because she was texting. That's against the court order. Ms Barlow is not coming back into the courtroom during this trial," the record states.

Depp sued Heard for defamation, whom he was married to between 2015 and 2017, in the U.S. back in 2019. The 58-year-old has alleged an op-ed the Aquaman actress wrote for The Washington Post in late 2018, in which she described her experiences of leaving an abusive relationship, constituted a hoax against him and impacted his Disney projects.

The trial continues this week.