Anyone who thought that the verdict in the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in the summer would put an end to the ex-husbands' dispute is completely wrong. Not only Depp has appealed. Heard also wants to go to court again.
A few weeks ago, Johnny Depp appealed part of the verdict in the defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard. As the industry portal "Deadline" now reports, the actress has also submitted an application to initiate a new process.
The documents, filed by her attorneys on Nov. 23, according to Deadline, say: "The court also erred in dismissing Heard's objection, in which she argued that the contested statements were unenforceable expressions of opinion and not suitable to convey the allegedly defamatory implication." The ruling, as it stands, "undoubtedly has a deterrent effect on other women who want to speak out about abuse by powerful men," the attorneys said.
Judge Penney Azcarate is accused of improperly instructing the jury at the trial, while also "eliminating highly relevant evidence and admitting irrelevant and prejudicial evidence." The trial should not have taken place in Virginia but in California, where the former couple lived together. With the appeal, Heard wants to have the verdict against her overturned or discarded in favor of a completely new trial, writes "Deadline".
"This case should never have gone to court either, as another court had already concluded that Depp had abused Heard on several occasions," the brief said. In another defamation lawsuit, Depp had taken action in the UK against the tabloid The Sun, which had called him a "woman-beater". However, the lawsuit was dismissed because the allegation was "essentially true," as it was said at the time.
In March 2019, Johnny Depp directly sued Amber Heard for $50 million. The reason was an opinion article in the Washington Post that appeared at the end of 2018. In the article, the actress detailed her experiences as an alleged domestic violence survivor. While Depp's name didn't appear in it, the Hollywood star said the article ruined his career.
Heard then filed a $100 million counterclaim against her ex. On June 1, a jury in Fairfax County, Virginia found that the article defamed Depp. He was awarded more than $10 million in damages. She received $2 million in her counterclaim.
According to US media reports, Depp has already appealed the part of the sentence that required him to pay Heard. The jury found that Depp's former lawyer had slandered the actress and awarded her damages as a result. That decision was "flawed," according to documents filed by Depp's current attorney in Virginia. The actor cannot be held legally liable for statements made by his ex-lawyer. This part of the judgment should therefore be overturned.
(This article was first published on Monday, December 05, 2022.)
