The legal battle between Amber Heard and her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, started when he sued her for an article she wrote in 2018 where she claimed that she was a victim of domestic abuse in the past. Depp’s name was never mentioned, but he claimed that he lost a number of deals based on Amber’s allegations. He then sued her for defamation.
The trial lasted for a long time, and finally, on June 1, a team of jurors made their ruling in Depp’s favor. Depp was then awarded $10 million in damages, while Amber was awarded $2 million. After the trial, Amber stated repeatedly that she still stands by all the words she said at the trial and that her ex-husband is truly guilty of abuse.
Amber Heard’s Legal Team Demands a New Trial, Stating That There Are “Additional Discovered Facts”
Although the trial has ended, the roller-coaster of public attention focused on the former couple looks like it will last a while longer. On Friday, July 8, Amber Heard’s legal team filed some documents that they claimed were based on some “additional discovered facts.” In the filings, there are claims that a different person served as a jury during the trial, and they believe that this might have affected the results of the trial, hence the need for another trial.
According to the actress’ lawyer, the home where the summons for jury duty was sent had two people bearing the same last names living there. Although the summon was for a person born in the year 1945, someone who was born in 1970 showed up for the process.
Heard’s lawyer stated that “it is deeply troubling for an individual not summoned for jury duty nonetheless to appear for jury duty and serve on a jury, especially in a case such as this.” They then claimed that with “safeguards” that had been put in place and “relied upon by the parties to verify the identity of the correct juror”, this should not have happened.
They further wrote that, under the circumstances where “these safeguards are circumvented or not followed, as appears to be the case here, the right to a jury trial and due process are undermined and compromised.” Therefore, “a mistrial should be declared, and a new trial ordered.” The team of lawyers did not reveal how they found the error.
The claim that the verdict was not supported by the trial’s evidence has been made numerous times since the verdict was announced. A number of times, supporters of Heard and her lawyers have made reference to the fact that the judgment made from the trial was biased. Many look forward to the response from Depp’s legal team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWkH6K4_xEg
