Johnny Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez has dismissed rumours of romance between the pair as 'sexist'.
Vasquez represented the Pirates of the Caribbean star alongside colleague Ben Chew, and over the course of the high-profile trial all kinds of theories and speculation swirled around social media.
Depp, 58, sued his ex-wife Amber Heard, 36, for $50 million (£38.2 million) in a defamation lawsuit over domestic abuse claims she made in a 2018 article in The Washington Post, and she issued a counterclaim for $100m (£76.4m).
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Last week, the jury found in favour of Depp - concluding that what Heard wrote in her op-ed piece was defamatory - and awarded him $15 million in damages.
It was a huge win for Depp and Vasquez, who has recently been promoted to partner at the Brown Rudnick law firm, and she has now dispelled rumours of a romance between her and Depp.
Speaking to People, she confirmed she has a boyfriend she is 'very happy' with, adding that it is 'unethical for us to date our clients'.
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She said: "It's also an unethical charge being made. It's sexist.
"It's unfortunate and it's disappointing, but at the same time it kind of comes with the territory. I can't say I was all that surprised."
She added: "I guess it comes with the territory of being a woman just doing her job.
"It's disappointing that certain outlets kind of ran with it or said that my interactions with Johnny — who is a friend and I've known and represented for four-and-a-half years now — that my interactions in any way were inappropriate or unprofessional. That's disappointing to hear."
She went on to explain that they had grown close over the years and said she is a very tactile person.
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She said: "I care very deeply about my clients, and we have obviously become close. But when I say we, I mean the entire team, and of course that includes Johnny.
"And, I'm Cuban and Colombian. I'm tactile. What do you want me to say? I hug everyone. And I'm not ashamed about that."
The verdict came following six weeks of evidence at Fairfax County Circuit Court, which included testimony from both Depp and Heard, as well as supermodel Kate Moss.
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Vasquez said: "This man was fighting for his life and it broke my heart to see him day in and day out have to sit there and listen to the most horrific allegations being made against him.
"And if I could provide any bit of comfort, then of course I would do that, whether it's holding his hand or letting him know that we were there and we were going to fight for him because he deserved it."
Depp and Heard began dating after meeting on the set of 2011 film The Rum Diary and got married in 2015. Heard obtained a restraining order against Depp the following year and they finalised their divorce in 2017.
In 2020, Depp lost a libel case brought against The Sun over an article in which he was labelled a 'wife beater'.
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He has denied all allegations of abuse.
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Topics: Johnny Depp, Celebrity, US News
Jake Massey