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Topics: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, US News
Charlie Cocksedge
It seems the trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard isn't over yet, and this time it's Depp who has launched an appeal.
Depp and his ex-wife Heard went through a highly-publicised court case earlier this year, as Depp sued Heard for defamation over an op-ed piece she wrote for The Washington Post, in which she claimed she had become a public figure representing domestic abuse.
Depp, who wasn’t named in the article, claimed it falsely implied he physically and sexually abused the Aquaman actress while they were together.
The jury of seven ruled in Depp’s favour and he was awarded $15 million in damages, while the court also ruled that Depp must pay Heard $2 million in damages after a counterclaim brought by Heard against one of Depp’s lawyers was also upheld.
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Since then, Heard has gone on to file for a new trial, citing 'inconsistent verdicts' and mistaken identity after one juror's date of birth didn't match the one that was given on court documents and in publicly available information.
In response, Depp's legal team said lawyers for Heard 'had more than enough time' to investigate the jurors, and that the individual who ended up on the jury when another had been summoned was still 'qualified to serve as a juror'.
They also argued that the request for a mistrial came on 8 July, seven days after the court appointed deadline to dispute the verdict.
Now, however, it seems Depp and his team are chasing an appeal themselves, disputing the $2 million he was ordered to pay Heard.
Depp's team filed the appeal yesterday, 22 July, just a day after Heard's team filed another appeal, The Guardian reports.
"Plaintiff and counterclaim-defendant John C Depp II, by counsel, hereby appeals to the court of appeals of Virginia from all adverse rulings and from the final judgment order of this circuit court entered on June 24, 2022," documents state.
Meanwhile, Heard's new appeal claims 'the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the first amendment'. "We are therefore appealing the verdict. While we realise today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice," a spokesperson for Heard said.
Depp was initially awarded $15 million in damages, though this was brought down to around $10.3 million by Judge Penny Azcarate, as there is a cap put on the amount punitive damages can total.
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