Johnny Depp & Amber Heard: War of Appeals
Amber Heard filed an appeal against the $10 million verdict in the high profile defamation case where the jury ruled in Johnny Depp’s favor, citing error in judgment. In response, Depp filed an appeal against the $2 million awarded to Heard during the trial.
In 2019, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor filed a defamation suit against Heard, his ex-wife, stating that the 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post defamed him and he lost multiple opportunities because of it. The op-ed detailed Heard’s alleged experience as a domestic violence survivor. Though the article did not mention Johnny, it was pretty obvious that the actress was referring to her ex-husband.
Amber counter sued Johnny for $100 million for defamation for calling her a liar.
The trial that started in April 2022, lasted for 6 weeks, and made headlines all over the world, was ruled in favor of Johnny Depp. On June 1, the released verdict stated that Amber Heard’s op-ed defamed Depp and she was liable to pay $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The total damage was reduced to less than $10.4 million after the judge lowered the punitive damage owing to Virginia state laws. The court also awarded Amber $2 million as compensatory damages for her countersuit.
Soon after the verdict was posted, Amber took to social media to express her disappointment. She said: “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband. I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.”
Meanwhile, Depp posted a humbling message stating, “Six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled. From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome, speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
A few days after the verdict was passed, a source revealed that Amber is 100% filing an appeal. She feels responsible for all the women who are going through a similar situation.
The actress’ legal team also made various claims which led to the verdict. They accused the court that one of the jurors was not properly verified, and that the said juror’s judgment was affected by pro-Depp social media.
On July 21, Amber finally filed the appeal. Her representative announced: “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’s representatives replied, “This was an overwhelmingly positive verdict for Mr. Depp. The verdict speaks for itself, and Mr. Depp believes that this is a time for both parties to move on with their lives and heal. But if Ms. Heard is determined to pursue further litigation by appealing the verdict, Mr. Depp is filing a concurrent appeal to ensure that the full record and all relevant legal issues are considered by the Court of Appeal.”
