Steph Deschamps / July 22, 2022
The actress Amber Heard appealed Thursday the verdict in the high-profile defamation lawsuit against her former husband Johnny Depp in the United States.
The actress of 36 years was condemned to pay ten million dollars to the star of Pirates of the Caribbean who will have to pay him two million, according to the judgement returned on June 1st by a court close to Washington. The lawyers of Amber Heard, who failed to obtain the annulment of the trial for defect of form, formalized Thursday their intention to appeal on the merits. We believe the court made errors that prevented a fair and just verdict that respects the First Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech, explained its spokespersons in a statement. We realize that this appeal will inflame Twitter, but it is a necessary step to ensure that justice is served, they added.
The legal battle between the former spouses stems from an op-ed published by the Washington Post in 2018, in which Amber Heard described herself as a public figure representing domestic violence, without naming her ex-husband. Asserting that this text had destroyed his reputation and his career, Johnny Depp, 59, had sued for defamation his ex-wife to obtain 50 million dollars in damages. Amber Heard had counterattacked and asked for the double.
After six weeks of debate, the jurors in Fairfax court, concluded that the former spouses had defamed each other, but they considered that the damages suffered by Johnny Depp were greater. The trial, ultra-mediatized and broadcast live on television, was followed by millions of viewers around the world and caused an outburst of insulting messages to the actress on social networks.