Pirates Of The Caribbean star, Johnny Depp has reportedly filed an appeal against his conviction for defaming ex, Amber Heard a day after she sought to have her convictions for defaming him overturned. According to the legal documents obtained by DailyMail, Johnny’s legal team filed the appeal in Fairfax County, Virginia on Friday, July 22.
He was ordered to pay Amber $2 million in damages after he was convicted of a single count of defamation, for referring to her domestic abuse claims against him a “hoax.” Amber was also ordered to pay him $10.35 million after being convicted of three counts of defamation in June, for branding the actor a domestic abuser.
The Amber VS Depp SAGA
On Friday, Johnny’s legal team said that he’d filed the appeal to ensure ‘all information is considered by the court’ while they consider his ex-wife’s application to overturn her three defamation convictions. Johnny accused Amber of defaming him when she ‘falsely’ referred to herself as a domestic violence victim in a Washington Post op-ed in 2018.
24 Hours After Amber Files Appeal To Overturn The Three Defamation Charges She Was Convicted Of, Johnny Depp Reacts
The jury ruled in favor of all the actor’s claims, then Amber coutersued, saying that she was defamed when her ex’s attorney, Adam Waldman, publicly called her allegations a ‘hoax.’ This counterclaim awarded the Aquaman star a $2 million compensation. A source close to Johnny said that he believes the duo should ‘move on with their lives and heal,’ but since Amber has pursued further legal action, Johnny has to counter-appeal so that all relevant information is considered by the appeals court.
He had sued her for $50 million over her Washington Post essay. His lawyers alleged the Pirates of the Caribbean star was defamed by the article even though his name was never mentioned, arguing the piece was clearly about their 15-month marriage. Amber then countersued for $100 million, alleging that her ex’s former lawyer defamed her by publicly characterizing her abuse allegations as a hoax.
Amber was ordered by the Jury to pay Johnny $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, which was later reduced to $350,000 under a state cap. The jury also awarded the Aquaman actress $2 million on her counterclaim. A source close to Johnny to Entertainment Tonight that, ‘This was an overwhelmingly positive verdict for Mr. Depp. The verdict speaks for itself.’
Amber Heard Files Appeal
Amber Heard has notified the Virginia court on Thursday, July 21 that she will appeal the judgment, as well as Judge’s rulings after the verdict – including rejecting her motion to declare a mistrial and dismiss the lawsuit or order a new trial. The source said, ‘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.’ Amber had claimed that Johnny physically and sexually abused her, which she accused had denied. He even said Amber was the abuser. On Thursday, Amber’s spokesman claimed in a statement that her legal team believes ‘the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict.’
He also said that, ‘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.’ Johnny’s team responded, saying: ‘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,’ his spokesman said Thursday. Neither Johnny nor Amber had yet issued comment on the Johnny’s counter-appeal at the time of publication.
Amber’s attorneys had earlier this month asked the judge to disregard the decision and declare a mistrial. They said that one of the jurors on the case should not be eligible to serve as his summons was intended for his dad, who bears the same name and lived at the same address. Amber’s request was rejected in a written order last Wednesday, and Judge Penny Azcarate ruled that there was ‘no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing’ by the juror and the jury’s verdict stands.
‘Due process was guaranteed and provided to all parties in this litigation,’ Azcarate wrote.In the 43-page memorandum that was filed on July 1, Amber’s lawyers also said that the verdict – and the $10 million in damages the actress now owes her ex – should be disregarded on the grounds that during the trial, Johnny ‘proceeded solely on a defamation by implication theory, abandoning any claims that Ms. Heard’s statements were actually false.’
Ben Chew, Johnny’s lead attorney responded to the motion in a statement to Courthouse News, saying: ‘What we expected, just longer, no more substantive.’
