The trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard ended on June 1.
Nearly a month and a half after the judgment, which sentenced the actress to pay 10 million in damages to her ex-husband, the latter formalized her request for appeal.
Thursday, July 21, her lawyers explained that the 36-year-old actress could not afford to pay the requested amount, as reported by AFP.
Faced with this new twist, the actor of
Pirates of the Caribbean
was quick to retort, deciding to file an appeal in turn.
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According to information from the
Deadline site,
the actor's lawyers filed an appeal this Friday, July 22, in Fairfax County, where the trial took place.
“Plaintiff and Counterclaim Defendant John C. Depp, II, by Counsel, hereby appeals to the Virginia Court of Appeals from all adverse judgments and from the Order of Final Judgment of this Circuit Court rendered on June 24, 2022”, can we read on the official documents, reported by the site.
Later, it was through a press release, still relayed by
Deadline
, that Johnny Depp's lawyers justified their decision.
“The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented over the six weeks of trial and returned a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr. Depp, on multiple occasions.
We remain confident in our case and believe this verdict will stand,” they said.
This procedure aims to thwart his ex-wife, but could also allow him to no longer have to pay the 2 million dollars he was ordered to pay her.
Ignite the Twittersphere
For their part, the representatives of the actress of
Aquaman
also made public statements on July 21, formalizing the reasons for their appeal.
“We believe the court made errors that prevented it from delivering a verdict that was just, fair and respectful of the First Amendment” of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression, its spokespersons explained in a press release.
And to add: “We understand that this appeal will inflame Twitter but it is a necessary step to ensure that justice is done,” they added.
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Legal battle
This legal battle between the former spouses stems from a column 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.
Assuring that this text had destroyed his reputation and his career, Johnny Depp, 59, had sued his ex-wife for defamation to obtain 50 million dollars in damages.
Amber Heard had counter-attacked and demanded the double.
After six weeks of trial, the jurors of the Fairfax court concluded that the ex-spouses had defamed each other, but they considered that the damages suffered by Johnny Depp were greater, condemning Amber Heard to pay him 10 million dollars against only 2 for him.