Amber Heard Files To Appeal Verdict: 'We Believe The Court Made Errors'

By Samantha in Entertainment On 22nd July 2022
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Amber Heard has filed to appeal the verdict in her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp.

At the beginning of June, the Aquaman actress lost the defamation case against her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, with the jury awarding Depp $10m in damages. 

The court concluded by the end of the trial that Heard. 36, defamed Depp with her 2018 op-ed in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic violence. 

Additionally, the jury awarded her $2 million in damages on one of her three defamation countersuit claims.

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After making it known she intended to appeal the Virginia verdict, Heard made it official Thursday morning when her lawyers filed a notice of appeal in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County.

"We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment. We are therefore appealing the verdict," a spokesperson for Heard said in a statement. "While we realize today's filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice."

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This new development comes a week after Judge Penney Azcarate denied Heard's request for a mistrial over an issue involving one of the jurors seemingly not being the one from their household summoned for jury duty.

The judge stated that there was no evidence of fraud found among the jury and also noted that Heard's team had weeks to speak about the error, instead they chose to wait after the trial.

Depp's team had responded to the post-trial motion with similar arguments before the judge's ruling.

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After the judge passed the official verdict in June, she pointed out that the damages will come with a 6 percent annual interest, and noted that if Heard were to appeal she would have to post a bond for the full amount of the damages she owes.

Only a day after the unfavorable trial verdict, Heard's lawyer Elaine Bredehoft said in a TV interview that Heard planned to appeal and the actress can "absolutely not" afford to pay the damages amount.

Bredehoft had mentioned in closing arguments that Heard had racked up $6 million in legal fees by that point in the trial. Depp's lawyer Benjamin Chew later said in another televised interview that, for Depp, the case was "never about money ... this was about restoring his reputation, and he's done that."

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In reaction to the verdict last month, Depp said in a statement he felt like the jury, made up of five men and two women, "gave me my life back." Heard, meanwhile, called the verdict a "setback" for women and said, "I'm heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband."

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She added at the time, "I'm sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly."

After the trial win, Depp has been touring around the world with Jeff Beck, with whom he released an album. Meanwhile, Heard had an interview with NBC News' Savannah Guthrie, where she said she stands by every word of her testimony and that she still has "no ill will" toward Depp.

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Apart from all this drama, Heard is also in a legal battle with her insurance company over who is liable for paying her court fees, and Depp reached a pre-trial settlement with a crew member from one of his movies who accused him of assault, which he denied.

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