About five months after what we thought was the end of the six-weeks defamation trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, Miss Heard has filed a new appeal case. If you recall, the trial shocked the world with revelations, accusations, and counter-accusations from both parties.
According to a new report by FOX, Amber Heard has officially filed a fresh appeal. The appeal is being filed on the premise that the recent acquittal of Johnny Depp cannot hold since a court already ruled in favor of Heard. The appeal was also filed to contest the jurisdiction of the recent ruling court. Heard and her team believes the proper jurisdictional court for the case should have been in California and not in Fairfax County, Virginia.
While there have been talks of a new appeal, Heard and her lawyers have decided to make it official. According to Heard’s lawyers in the appeal filings,
“To find in favor of Depp, the jury must have concluded that Depp did not abuse Heard and that Heard knowingly lied in accusing him of abuse. But, to favor Heard, the jury must have concluded that Heard told the truth about being a victim of domestic abuse by Depp. Accordingly, the verdict against Heard cannot stand.”
Amber Heard still believes in her campaign to stop domestic violence and be a voice for others. Part of the appeal filings also included the opinion of Heard, who believes if the appeal is successful,
“undoubtedly will have a chilling effect on other women who wish to speak about abuse involving powerful men.”
The move by Heard’s legal team is to have the June 1, 2022 verdict overturned, dismissed, or trigger the start of a new trial. If the appeal succeeds in throwing out the June 1 verdict, fans and interested parties must brace themselves for another weeks-long trial next year.
Appeals and counter-appeals
Throughout the trial, we saw solidarity and support groups form and dismantled. The nature of the trial, mainly because of what it represents, has opened up secrets and alliances we never knew existed.
Yet, none of these prepared fans for what would follow after the verdict in June. From the judge unsealing court documents to appeal filings, it seems the end is still far away.
If you’ve seen the end of appeal filings, then nothing prepared most people for the shocker of having Depp appeal his defamation verdict against Heard. But, again, Depp came out victorious, with the judge awarding Captain Jack Sparrow more than $10 million in damages. The judge agreed that Heard was guilty of defaming Depp in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed regarding domestic abuse.
But it hasn’t only been Depp who has been on the winning side. Heard also had a win in a separate defamation claim. The judge awarded $2 million to Heard, citing proof that she had been defamed by Adam Waldman, Johnny Depp’s lawyer.
What the future looks like
credit: Reuters
As has been the case, every win comes with an appeal and sometimes a counter-appeal. Judging from what we’ve seen so far, the carousel of appeals keeps turning. A good example is the $2 million win for Heard.
With no intentions of paying Heard, TMZ got an exclusive insider report that Depp quickly appealed to the verdict. The primary motion of the appeal is Depp’s refusal to be responsible for the defamation done by his lawyer. The appeal filing also says Heard’s lawyers cannot prove that the statement made by Depp’s lawyer was malicious and defamatory.
Waldman’s statement was,
“So Amber and her friends spilled a little wine, roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911.”
Yep, there’s no end to this trial. We can only hope both parties find a way to resolve their differences out of court and out of the media.
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