Being firm. Johnny Depp is firing back at Amber Heard’s appeal. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor responded to his ex-wife’s appeal for their defamation trial.
Heard’s legal team filed for an appeal on July 21, 2022. The Aquaman actress’ spokesperson told Deadline, “We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment. We are therefore appealing the verdict. While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.” Depp affirmed their stance on the verdict on July 22, 2022. A spokesperson with the actor told Deadline, “The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented during the six-week trial and came to a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr. Depp, in multiple instances. We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand.”
Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard started in mid-April 2022 and came to a close on June 1, 2022. He won the defamation trial after he sued Heard for $50 million. Heard wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in 2018 about her experiences with domestic abuse. Though no names were mentioned, many people speculated it to be about her marriage to Depp. Depp claimed that the op-ed cost him his acting jobs. In the end, Depp was awarded $15 million in damages, but Heard will have to pay $10.35 million due to a Virginia law cap on punitive damages. Heard was also awarded $2 million after she won one count of her countersuit against Johnny.
Heard and her lawyers recently made a case for a mistrial due to a juror mishap. According to documents obtained by People, the lawyers state that “based on newly discovered facts and information that Juror No. 15 was not the individual summoned for jury duty on April 11, 2022.” They also attempted to throw away the verdict altogether where they claim that Depp’s compensatory award was “excessive” and “indefensible.” However, Judge Penney Azcarate denied the mistrial.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) for confidential support.