The Depp-Heard trial ended weeks ago with a victory for the pirates of the Caribbean actor. Depp did not receive the $50 million he requested (the court awarded him $10.35 million), but it appeared that the court victory meant more to him than the monetary reward. “The jury brought me back to life,” Depp wrote on Instagram.
Losing hit Amber Heard hard, especially considering Depp had lost a similar lawsuit in the UK. She wrote on Instagram:
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I am heartbroken that the mountain of evidence was still not enough to address my ex-husband’s disproportionate power, influence and influence.”
Contents
Amber plans to appeal the verdict after she allegedly failed to settle with Depp
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp | Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Art of Elysium
Amber Heard’s attorney, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, told Savannah Guthrie the TODAY that Amber is ‘absolutely’ incapable of paying that amount of damages to Depp. A Marca report claims that Heard and Depp met to renegotiate the debt, but the meeting was unsuccessful.
In early July 2022, Heard’s lawyers requested that the court vacate the ruling. Led by Elaine Bredehoft, Amber’s lawyers claimed that Depp was unable to prove that Heard’s statements in his Washington Post opinion piece were false.
Depp “proceeded solely with a defamation theory by implication, dismissing any claim that Ms Heard’s statements were actually false,” Bredehoft argued.
The lawyers also claimed that the damages awarded to Depp were excessive. Ben Chew, Depp’s lead attorney, sent an email to court news claiming that he expected the motions, but dismissed them as lacking in substance.
Heard also alleged that the court failed to question one of the jurors. The filing alleges that juror 15 misrepresented her age, listing his birth year as 1945, contrary to public records indicating that the juror was born in 1970.
“This discrepancy raises the question of whether Juror 15 actually received a jury summons and whether he was properly vetted by the court for jury duty,” the motion added.
A couple of weeks before the filing, Judge Penney Azcarate denied a request for further hearings on the case. Azcarate recorded the sentence after dismissing Bredehoft’s request.
She advised Heard’s legal team to file motions with the court as she was unwilling to schedule further hearings. Azcarate said Heard would have to pay an $8.35 million bond at 6% annual interest for any appeal to go forward.
Given Bredehoft’s claim that Amber Heard doesn’t have the money to pay Depp, any potential appeal seems doomed. The registration of the judgment also limits the ability of the parties to negotiate an out-of-court settlement.
Following the verdict, Depp’s lawyers suggested that he might be willing to forfeit his award. However, considering Amber’s repeated claims against Depp, it’s unlikely the actor will lose the award.
Lawyers say Heard is unlikely to succeed on appeal
Legal experts are of the opinion that Heard should not bother filing an appeal, as he is likely to lose.
Neama Rahmani, a former assistant federal prosecutor, said new that Amber can only appeal for a legal error and, according to his observation, he could not think of a clear legal error made in the case.
Matrimonial and family law attorney Valentina Shaknes told the outlet that the jury found Depp more credible than Amber, and that “appellate courts are very, very reluctant to reassess credibility findings.”
“One issue they might try to appeal is the amount of damages if it somehow conflicts with the law,” Shaknes continued.
Shaknes said it would be “extremely difficult and unlikely to win” for Heard’s legal team to appeal the underlying findings based on credibility.
Elaine Bredehoft said in TODAY that Depp’s evidence suppression strategy helped his victory in Virginia. For example, the judge ruled that a doctor’s notes in which Heard allegedly reported the abuse were “hearsay and inadmissible.” Bredhoft said:
“The court found there [the U.K.], and we were not allowed to tell the jury this, but the court found that Mr. Depp had committed at least 12 acts of domestic violence, including sexual violence against Amber. So what did Depp’s team learn from this? Demonize Amber and suppress the evidence.
Bredehoft also claimed that the overwhelming support Depp received on social media influenced the jurors, despite being ordered by the court not to look at social media.
Heard doesn’t blame the jury but fears the verdict will silence battered women
Immediately after the verdict, Amber wrote on Instagram: “I am sad to have lost this case. But I’m even sadder because it seems like I’ve lost a right that I thought I had as an American: to speak freely and openly.”
Heard echoed her comments in her first interview after the verdict, telling Savannah Guthrie on NBC that the trial took her voice away. Amber told Guthrie that every word he said during the trial was true and Depp lied that he had not abused her during her marriage.
Amber acknowledged that she acted inappropriately during the couple’s romance. “I have done and said horrible and unfortunate things throughout our relationship,” Heard said. “I have so much regret.”
Heard said she learned during the trial that people would always have a rebuttal for every piece of evidence she presented. Amber explained:
“If you have proof, then it was a plan, it was a hoax. If you don’t have proof, it didn’t happen. If you have a bruise, it’s fake. If you don’t have a bruise, then the violence clearly didn’t hurt you. If you told people, then you are hysterical. If you didn’t tell anyone, it didn’t happen.”
Amber lamented that she was not a perfect victim in the court of public opinion. However, she did not blame the jury for her decision. “I don’t blame them,” Heard said. “I actually understand that she is a beloved character and people feel that she knows him. She is a fantastic actor”.
Amber feared the ruling could silence abused women, especially those assaulted by Johnny. “Look what happened to me when I applied,” Amber said. Bredehoft agreed with Amber, stating that the decision was a setback for all women. The attorney told Guthrie:
“One of the first things she [Amber] said is that, ‘I’m sorry for all those women out there.’ This is a setback for all those women in and out of the courtroom, and she feels the burden.”
Amber plans to spend more time with her daughter Oonagh Paige
Oonagh Paige Heard was born in April 2021 via surrogate. Amber announced her birth via a July 2021 post, writing that she had her child on her own terms. ear wrote:
“I hope we get to a point where it’s normalized to not want a ring to have a crib. Part of me wants to argue that my private life is nobody’s business. I also understand that the nature of my job requires me to take control of this.”
“My little O is one year old today,” Amber wrote on Paige’s first birthday. “I still can’t believe you’re here. Best year ever.” Amber named her daughter Paige della in memory of her late mother, Paige Heard.
Amber mentioned Paige a couple of times during the trial. “I want to continue with my life. I have a baby. I have to move on. I want to move on and I want Johnny to move on too,” Heard said.
Heard also mentioned that people had threatened her and Paige on social media. She said:
“People want to kill me, and they tell me every day. People want to put my baby in the microwave and they tell me.”
A source talking to People said Amber was looking forward to spending time with Oonagh after six weeks of a crazy trial. The source said:
“For now, she just wants to focus on her baby. The trial took a lot of special time away from moms. Amber is looking forward to a summer with her daughter and her family.”
Amber Heard may have lost her mind, but it means something to her, and potentially her daughter, that she fought for. Heard spoke with Savannah Guthrie about what she will tell Oonagh about the trial:
“I think whatever happens, it will mean something. I did the right thing. I did everything I could to defend myself and the truth.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn