Amber Heard has formally filed an appeal in her defamation suit against her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. HollywoodLife received the court records submitted by her legal team on Thursday, July 13 with the Virginia Court of Appeals in Fairfax County, Virginia. The actress is attempting to overturn the jury’s decision that found her guilty of endangering Johnny’s career after writing an op-ed about being a victim of domestic abuse.
“We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment,” Amber’s spokesman said in a statement to HollywoodLife. “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.” The Aquaman star’s new attempt comes after her request for the case to be declared a mistrial was refused on Wednesday, July 13.
Amber’s attorneys had filed a motion to have the trial thrown out after presenting proof that one of the jurors was not the person who was meant to serve on the case. “The juror was vetted, sat for the entire jury, deliberated, and reached a verdict,” Judge Penney Azcarate answered. “The only evidence before this Court is that this juror and all jurors followed their oaths, the Court’s instructions, and orders. This Court is bound by the competent decision of the jury.”
Johnny was given $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages after claiming Amber harmed his career by writing a story for The Washington Post alleging domestic violence. “The jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled,” Johnny stated after the decision was read. “From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome.”
Despite being found guilty, Amber was granted $2 million in damages for her counterclaim, which held Johnny’s counsel liable for defamation for declaring Amber a liar. Amber also issued a statement following the judgement. “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women,” Heard said. “It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”
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