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Heard was expected to testify at the hearing related to the
restraining order in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday,
according to E! News and other media outlets.
Instead, the next hearing in the divorce filed by Heard against
Depp last month will occur on Aug. 2, court officials said in a
statement. The restraining order is part of the divorce case.
The delay allows Depp to gather more witnesses to defend himself
against abuse allegations, while for Heard it allows the
restraining order to remain in effect at least until the next
hearing, said attorney Christopher Melcher, who previously
served as chair of the state bar of California family law
section, in a phone interview.
It was not immediately clear which side moved to vacate the
hearing set for Friday. Attorneys for Depp and Heard did not
immediately return calls.
There have been conflicting reports in the media about whether
the two sides are moving toward a settlement in the divorce
case.
Depp's legal team had filed court papers seeking to prevent
witnesses from testifying on behalf of Heard at the hearing on
Friday, on grounds that the actress' legal team had not provided
the names of those witnesses, according to a report on the
website of People magazine.
A judge on May 27 granted a temporary restraining order for Depp
to stay at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from Heard and move
out of the couple's shared condominium in downtown Los Angeles.
The couple married in February 2015.
Heard, 30, said in court filings that Depp, 53, was abusive to
her throughout their marriage and that it culminated in an
argument last month in which he hurled a cell phone into her
face and shattered various objects in her apartment.
In a counter argument, Depp's lawyer said in court papers last
month that Heard "is attempting to secure a premature financial
resolution by alleging abuse."
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Andrew Hay)
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