London, Europe Brief News – Amber Heard has filed an appeal against the result of her libel case with Johnny Depp.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp starred in one of the most talked about media trials in recent years. Although the actor was the one who came out victorious, both had their careers affected. After a few weeks, information leaked that both could return to court for a new trial.
Depp was rewarded $15m (£12m) in compensatory and punitive damages.
A few months later, she now asked for the jury’s verdict to be reversed, or for a new trial entirely.
Ms Heard, 36, won one of three counter-claims against Mr Depp, 59, and gained $2m (£1.6m) in compensatory damages.
But she is now arguing the trial was in the wrong state. She also objected to the judge’s decision to exclude certain pieces of evidence. This includes notes from therapists documenting allegations of abuse.
In a lengthy written document, obtained by Deadline, her lawyers argued: “That holding, if allowed to stand, undoubtedly will have a chilling effect on other women who wish to speak about abuse involving powerful men.”
The actress’s team went on to note the previous unsuccessful libel suit the Pirates of the Caribbean star brought against The Sun newspaper in 2018, for calling him a “wife-beater” in print.
Suggesting the subsequent, separate US libel case “should never have gone to trial” because “another court had already concluded that Depp abused Heard on multiple occasions”.
