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On Friday, June 24, the judgment in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's defamation lawsuit was officially entered by Judge Penney Azcarate. According to the New York Post, both legal teams' representatives were present at the Fairfax County Court to finalize the settlement details.
As per the trial's verdict on June 1, the jury agreed with all three counts of Depp's allegations of defamation against Heard. This resulted in the actor being awarded $10.35 million (which was reduced from $15 million due to the state's limit on punitive damages).
Meanwhile, Heard was awarded $2 million as the jury agreed with one count of her claims.
Amber Heard to appeal the defamation trial verdict, which favored Johnny Depp
Heard's appeal about the verdict of the couple's defamation trial, which favored Johnny Depp, was clarified previously by her attorney Elaine Bredehoft. On June 2, a day after the verdict was reached, Bredehoft appeared on The Today Show. At the time, the attorney revealed that they would be appealing the ruling as they had "excellent grounds" to do so. Bredehoft further insinuated how the jury had been swayed by social media coverage of the defamation lawsuit.
Bredehoft also told the show's co-hosts:
"She was demonized here. A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused. We weren't allowed to tell them about the U.K. judgment."
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez had told The Today Show that the jury members were instructed not to consume any content related to the case outside the courtroom. At the time, Depp's other attorney Ben Chew said that Judge Azcarate had been fair to both sides.
During the verdict, Judge Azcarate said she would enter the judgment on June 24 to allow time for any settlement between the two parties outside the court. However, the two legal teams stated that no settlement had been settled. This is surprising as, in her interview with The Today Show, Elaine Bredehoft revealed that the actress cannot pay the $8.35 million (after subtracting what she is owed) to Johnny Depp.
Appeal details
According to Los Angeles Times,
"As stated in yesterday's congressional hearings, you don't ask for a pardon if you are innocent. And you don't decline to appeal if you know you are right."
The fact that no settlement had been reached fortifies that Amber Heard is set to appeal the verdict of the defamation trial. As per recent reports, Heard has 30 days to file for appeal after the judgment had been entered in the docket, making it legally binding and official. Following this, she can appeal to the Virginia Court of Appeals.
With the fees of Heard's attorneys amid the appeal, Heard would have to pay an additional $8.35 million to Depp if she loses the appeal. As per previous comments from Heard and her attorneys, they plan to point out that the social media coverage influenced the jury during the trial. However, this can quickly be overruled as 'speculative.' Furthermore, Depp's legal team can point out how the actress' interview with Savannah Guthrie of NBC's Dateline and claims about Depp abusing her during their relationship despite the verdict was defamatory in nature.
It remains to be seen how the Aquaman star would pay her attorneys, who reportedly received $6 million. Since the trial, there had been rumors of the actress being broke.
