Amber Heard’s legal fight with Johnny Depp has taken a new turn for the worse.
A Virginia jury found in favor of Johnny Depp in the defamation case brought by his ex-wife, Aquaman actress Amber Heard, according to court documents acquired by E! News.
Penney Azcarate, a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge, rejected Heard’s claim that she was unfairly tried because one juror served on the jury without being called, noting there was “no proof of fraud or misconduct” that warranted a mistrial in a July 13 order.
The juror in question was also “vetted by the Court on the record and met the statutory requirements for service,” as well as questioned and approved by both Heard’s and Depp’s legal teams prior to the trial, according to Azcarate—who presided over Depp’s six-week trial against Heard.
Additionally, the court ruled that the juror list was sent to Heard’s lawyer just five days before the trial, thus the actress had “every chance” “to object to or to deliver on the problem.”
It stated that the juror was vetted, and then sat for the entire jury to discuss and come to a decision. “This juror and all other jurors must prove that they complied with the Court’s rules, instructions, and orders based on their oaths of allegiance. The competent verdict of the jury binds this Court.”
Heard (Networth) was convicted guilty of defamation on June 1 by a seven-person jury after describing herself as a “public figure symbolizing domestic abuse” in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Despite the fact that Heard never referenced Depp by name in her essay, Depp’s attorneys have argued that Heard “concocted the story in order to generate positive publicity and to benefit her career.”
As a result of Azcarate’s reduction of punitive penalties to the state’s legal cap of $350,000, the total damages granted to Depp came to roughly $10.4 million. Compensation of $2 million was awarded to Heard, who countersued Depp for $100 million alleging an “internet defamation campaign.”
Jury selection included an individual who was reported as born in 1945, making the person 77 years old, but voter registration information also indicated that a 52-year-old with the same last name was living at the older person’s location. Heard’s defense team submitted a motion for a mistrial on July 8.
Using this name for jury duty “clearly identifies the younger individual,” the lawsuit stated. After six weeks of service on a panel that included a 52-year-old woman, she wasn’t summoned to jury duty on April 11.
A mistrial should be declared and a fresh trial ordered, according to Heard’s attorneys, who said in court filings that the star’s “due process” had been compromised.
Depp and his legal team filed an opposition to Heard’s motion earlier this week, demanding that it be rejected. In spite of her disappointment with the verdict, the petition stated that “Ms. Heard has discovered no genuine basis to throw aside the jury’s decision in any regard.”
Actor Johnny Depp (Networth) firmly believes the Court should reject Ms. Heard’s post-trial motion, which he says “veers into the absurd.”
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.