Amber Heard has urged a Virginia court to overturn her losing a decision in Johnny Depp's defamation lawsuit, alleging that the evidence is insufficient.
Lawyers representing Amber Heard, who was found guilty of three defamation allegations made by Johnny Depp, alleged last week in a 43-page application that the decision was not supported by the evidence shown during the former couple's blockbuster trial.
Amber Heard Claims Johnny Depp Didn't Prove His Case
According to the documents filed Friday, Johnny Depp proceeded entirely on the defamation by implication approach, discarding any allegations that Heard's words were genuinely incorrect. Amber Heard's attorneys also claim that Juror 15 on the panel was picked improperly by providing the incorrect birthdate during jury selection - 1945 rather than the actual year of 1970. It is uncertain if the juror genuinely deliberated on the matter.
In a 2018 op-ed essay in The Washington Post stating she was a victim of domestic abuse, Johnny Depp, 58, sued his ex, claiming he harmed his career - and leaving little doubt the allusion was to the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series star. The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages in the decision last month, however, Virginia law limited the amount to $10.3 million. Heard, who countersued, received a $2 million award for one of her claims, according to New York Post.
Heard further claimed that the damages awarded to Depp were disproportionate since the jury gave them for factors unrelated to his litigation. Judge Penney Azcarate has made it obvious that she does not want the case to go as is, refusing Heard's team's request for more hearings during the most recent session linked to the case on June 24, in which the judge formalized the verdict in the court's records.
That day, Judge Azcarate informed Heard's team that they might file an appeal with the court. In the June decision, both celebrities were deemed to have defamed each other, but the deck was stacked heavily in Depp's favor.
'Aquaman' Actress Admits She Can't Pay Johnny Depp
Heard subsequently conceded to her lawyer that she couldn't pay the millions of dollars in damages, and a day after the decision, her counsel stated she would fight it. Her stance on the topic has shifted since then, with claims circulating that she intends to produce a "tell-all" book to raise funds to settle the damages.
According to a person close to Amber Heard, she is poor and unable to turn down money. They claim she thinks her Hollywood career is gone and has nothing to lose after a catastrophic few months. Chew stated earlier this month on Good Morning America that the actor would be prepared to forego the millions of dollars in damages owing to him if Heard agrees not to pursue an appeal.
However, Heard's lawyers blew that opportunity during the June 24 hearing when they refused to reach such an accord, and Azcarate formalized the decision, leaving Heard with only an appeal. Amber Heard would still need to come up with the money to post a bond for the entire sum of the $10.35 million while the appeal is pending, which is a standard process, Daily Mail reported.
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp wrote a statement about how his life altered in the blink of an eye as a result of his ex's op-ed. He said that serious criminal charges were leveled against him while thanking the jurors for giving him his life back after six years. He thanks all of his followers and well-wishers for their affection and assures us that the best is yet to come, as per Republic World.
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