Amber Heard’s legal team has filed a motion to have the verdict in her hit defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp thrown out and the case re-examined.
Lawyers representing Heard, 36, filed the motion Friday on the grounds that the conviction that she defamed Depp, 59, was not supported by evidence.
They also argued that a juror was not properly vetted and questioned whether that juror should have been allowed on the jury in the first place.
In a 43-page memorandum, Heard’s lawyers argued that the verdict — and the $10 million in damages she owes Depp — should be thrown out on the grounds that during the trial Depp “proceeded solely on the theory of defamation by implication, abandoning any claims that Ms. Hurd’s statements were factually false.
Depp’s lead attorney, Ben Chu, responded to the request in a statement to Courthouse News, saying, “What we expected, just longer, nothing more substantial.”
Heard said he is unable to pay the $10.35 million in restitution he owes Depp. Although she has previously indicated that she wants to appeal the sentence, in order to do so she will have to post a bond for the full damages. It is likely that this latest motion is part of an attempt to circumvent these requirements and still try for a new conviction.
Lawyers representing Heard, 36, filed the motion Friday on the grounds that a conviction that she defamed Depp, 59, was not supported by evidence
Depp’s lead attorney, Ben Chu, responded to the request in a statement to Courthouse News, saying, “What we expected, just longer, nothing more substantial.”
The motion questioned the validity of the jury selection process by naming a juror — identified as Juror 15 — whose year of birth was listed as 1945 in court records.
The filing claims that Juror 15 “clearly was born after 1945. Publicly available information indicates that he appears to have been born in 1970.”
“This discrepancy raises the question of whether Juror 15 actually received a jury summons and was properly vetted by the court to serve on the jury.”
“It appears his identity could not be verified,” the filing said.
The filing claims that Juror 15 “clearly was born after 1945. Publicly available information indicates that he appears to have been born in 1970.”
Both celebrities were found to have defamed each other in the June ruling, but the cards fell heavily in Depp’s favor
Heard also argued that the damages awarded to Depp were excessive because the jury awarded them for parameters beyond what was relevant to his case.
While Depp “represented himself in court, he would have limited his damages to the period from December 18, 2018, to November 2, 2020,” the period of time between the publication of Heard’s op-ed about Depp’s alleged abuse in the Washington Post and when the Court in The UK ruled that he abused Heard – the claim claims that Depp made no attempt to focus the extent of his alleged damages within that two-year period.
‘Mr. Depp made no such effort at any point in the trial to limit the damages he sought. Instead, even during the shutdown, Mr. Depp continued to push for the jury to restore his reputation and his children’s inheritance as a result of Ms. Heard, who accused Mr. Depp in May 2016 of domestic violence.
Judge Penny Azcarate made it clear she did not want the case to proceed as is, rejecting requests from Heard’s team for more hearings during the final hearing related to the case on June 24, in which the judge finalized the verdict in the case to the court.
Judge Azkarate told Heard’s team that day that if they wanted an appeal, they could file one in court.
Both celebrities were found to have defamed each other in the June verdict, but the cards fell heavily in Depp’s favor.
Amber Heard after the sentencing was read on June 1, 2022. Depp received $10.35 million in damages from Heard, while she only received $2 million in damages from Depp. In total, Heard is left owing Depp a whopping $8.35 million.
He received $10.35 million in compensation from Heard, while she only received $2 million in compensation from Depp. In total, Heard is left owing Depp a whopping $8.35 million.
Heard later admitted through her attorney that she could not afford the millions in damages, and a day after the verdict, her agency said it would appeal.
However, her tune on the matter has since been mixed, with reports emerging that she plans to write a “tell-all” book to raise money to pay for the damages.
A source close to Heard claims she is “broke” and is “unable to turn down money”.
They said she “considers her Hollywood career over” and has “nothing to lose” after a disastrous few months.
Heard later admitted through her attorney that she could not afford the millions in damages, and a day after the verdict, her agency said she would appeal the verdict
During an interview with Good Morning America earlier in June, Chu suggested that the star might be willing to forgo the millions of dollars in damages owed to him if Heard agreed not to appeal.
However, Heard’s attorneys lost that chance during a June 24 hearing when they refused to enter into such a deal, and Azcarate finalized the sentence, leaving Heard’s only avenue of appeal.
To do that, however, Hurd would still have to come up with the cash to post the full $10.35 million bond while an appeal is pending — a common practice.
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