Who is Yarelyn Mena? City University of New York removes profile of lawyer who worked on Johnny Depp's legal team

The City University of New York has scrapped the profile of Yarelyn Mena, who took part in Johnny Depp’s recent defamation trial. CUNY is New York’s public university system that several other colleges fall under.The article was scrubbed after the institution faced immense backlash from critics who claimed that the university supported the actor who was accused of domestic abuse. Since then, the university has released a statement defending their actions in taking down the article.Yarelyn Mena was the youngest attorney to be part of Brown Rudnick LLP’s team who represented the Pirates of the Caribbean actor. The actor was involved in a lengthy legal battle against his ex-wife and actress Amber Heard. The 29-year-old attorney helped Depp win a $10.35 million verdict.Mione48@Mione48A big round of applause to Camille Vasquez (@BrownRudnickLLP Promote her as partner), Ben Chew, Wayne Dennison, Jessica Meyers, Rebecca Lecaroz, Andrew Crawford, Stephanie Calnan, Samuel Moniz, Yarelyn Mena, thank you all who stood by Johnny Depp´s side.#JusticeForJohnnyDepp48476A big round of applause to Camille Vasquez (@BrownRudnickLLP Promote her as partner), Ben Chew, Wayne Dennison, Jessica Meyers, Rebecca Lecaroz, Andrew Crawford, Stephanie Calnan, Samuel Moniz, Yarelyn Mena, thank you all who stood by Johnny Depp´s side.#JusticeForJohnnyDepp https://t.co/Hz1F3lmkmkCUNY published the profile featuring a picture of Yarelyn Mena sitting next to Johnny Depp during his trial. The institution praised Mena for her:“copious legal research, contributions to the draft motion and preparation of witnesses and attorneys.”However, netizens 'canceled' the article, arguing that the educational institution was showing support for an actor who was accused of domestic violence. On August 3, the CUNY website released a statement apologizing for publishing the article. They also added that they did not intend to “convey support for Mr.Depp.” Their statement read:“We understand the strong negative emotions this article elicited and apologize for publishing the item. We have removed it from our CUNYverse blog. The article was not meant to convey support for Mr. Depp, implicitly or otherwise, or to call into question any allegations that were made by Amber Heard. Domestic violence is a serious issue in our society and we regret any pain this article may have caused.”Who is Yarelyn Mena?The Fordham Law School graduate is the daughter of two Dominican Republic immigrants. jk---sane person@redjanuko@DrProudman I believe YARELYN MENA!Associate at Brown Rudnick.@DrProudman I believe YARELYN MENA!Associate at Brown Rudnick. https://t.co/LXfiDhvfofYarelyn Mena joined Brown Rudnick LLP in October 2019. The Latina earned her Bachelor’s in Arts in 2015 from Hunter College, where she studied Psychology. During her time spent at Fordham University School of Law, she was one of 25 students in the county chosen to take part in the Hispanic National Bar.Mena specializes in intellectual property and commercial law.While explaining her responsibilities when it came to Depp’s sensationalized court battle, she explained in the CUNY article that she:“worked with the team on the opening and closing and was the master of the facts of all the evidence. If someone needed pictures or text messages, I would look them up and assist everyone as we went along.”Following CUNY taking down the article praising Mena, Brooklyn College professor KC Johnson took to Twitter, blasting CUNY’s move. KC Johnson@kcjohnson9Not a good look for CUNY, to put it mildly.(The memory-holed article celebrated the legal acumen of a 2015 Hunter grad, the daughter of two immigrants from the Dominican Republic, who had worked on the Depp case.)www1.cuny.edu/mu/cunyverse/2…455112Not a good look for CUNY, to put it mildly.(The memory-holed article celebrated the legal acumen of a 2015 Hunter grad, the daughter of two immigrants from the Dominican Republic, who had worked on the Depp case.)www1.cuny.edu/mu/cunyverse/2… https://t.co/zyvV9IzdenKC Johnson@kcjohnson9One line of the institution's groveling apology could even be read as casting doubt on the jury's verdict in the civil case. CUNY's message to talented young grads who go into the law seems to be--we'll celebrate you only if we institutionally approve of your client.351One line of the institution's groveling apology could even be read as casting doubt on the jury's verdict in the civil case. CUNY's message to talented young grads who go into the law seems to be--we'll celebrate you only if we institutionally approve of your client.In another tweet, Johnson also expressed how CUNY's removal of the article could be a portrayal of their disbelief in jury's verdict of the Depp-Heard trial. The Hoeg Law Firm’s attorney Richard Hoeg also expressed disappointment in CUNY and said: “That’s rather unbelievable.”

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