Verdict in Depp Heard trial: Amber Heard appeals according to lawyer - "Some excellent reasons"

Created: 2022-06-07 04:53

By: Franziska Schwarz

A decision has been made in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial.

Both sides were found guilty and are receiving penalties - Heard now wants to appeal.

• Amber Heard vs. Johnny Depp

  : The world is watching the trial of the year.

• The jury has decided: Both sides are

  found guilty

  .

  But Heard gets it much harder than Depp.

• After the verdict, there are

  first statements from Depp and Heard

  .

Update from June 2nd, 4:09 p.m .:

Is the court mud fight between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard still going on?

There will obviously be a new chapter.

Because Heard wants to appeal.

This was announced by her lawyer Elaine Bredehoft on the NBC show "Today".

According to Bredehoft, Heard "absolutely" wants to appeal the verdict pronounced on Wednesday evening (CEST) and spoke of "some excellent reasons" for it.

Amber Heard was found guilty in the Johnny Depp trial on Wednesday night.

But she wants to appeal.

© Evelyn Hockstein / dpa

Update from June 2nd, 6.39 a.m .:

The mud fight between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard ended with a large victory for the actor.

But the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star wasn't there at all.

Only his legal team was represented.

After the trial, Depp traveled to England to perform in concert with rock guitarist Jeff Beck.

On the day of the verdict, he was spotted with musicians in a pub in Newcastle, British media reported.

The verdict of the jury - five men and two women - came after three days of deliberations.

At the core of Depp's civil lawsuit was a 2018 op-ed by the

in which Heard described himself as a victim of domestic violence.

She didn't name Depp, but the actor branded himself a victim of false testimony and is suing for $50 million in damages for defamation.

Heard countersued with a $100 million claim.

She claimed that Depp's ex-lawyer Adam Waldman had damaged her reputation with a smear campaign.

The verdict revolved around complicated legal issues such as freedom of speech, intent or damage to reputation - but the credibility of the Hollywood stars and the mutual allegations of abuse were also put to the test.

Amber Heard found guilty, Depp also receives a fine of millions – both sides express themselves after the verdict

Update from June 1st, 10:31 p.m .:

After the trial, the protagonists comment: “The disappointment I feel today cannot be put into words,” Amber Heard wrote on Wednesday via the short message service Twitter.

The fact that the jury largely did not believe her despite a "mountain of evidence" breaks her heart.

She also sees the verdict as a "step backwards" for other women in a similar situation.

"I'm sad that I lost the case.

But I'm even sadder that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American - to speak freely and openly."

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Hollywood star Johnny Depp thanked the jury and his legal team.

"This jury gave me my life back," Depp said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The goal of moving this process forward from the beginning was to get the truth out, no matter what the outcome.

Telling the truth was something I owed to my children and to all those who have always supported me.

Now that I've managed to do that, I feel inner peace within me.” A new chapter in his life has now begun for him.

"The best is yet to come."

Depp Heard trial: Amber Heard found guilty – Depp also received a penalty

Update from June 1st, 9:55 p.m .:

In the defamation trial between Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, the jury found both sides guilty of defamation.

The jury awarded Depp damages of ten plus five million dollars, the latter sum the judge reduced to $350,000 due to corresponding regulations in the state of Virginia.

The jury awarded Heard $2 million in damages.

Ultimately, according to the verdict, Heard has to pay 8.35 million dollars (almost 8 million euros) to Depp.

An appeal in the case is considered likely.

Heard had accused her ex-husband of domestic violence, while Depp accused her of repeatedly becoming violent.

The verdict was previously delayed because the jury failed to enter what it deemed appropriate damages on the appropriate form.

Dressed all in black, Heard followed the verdict in court, having come to court accompanied by her sister.

Depp didn't show up.

Numerous onlookers and fans, especially Depp, had gathered in front of the court, who cheered after the verdict and shouted "Johnny, Johnny".

Amber Heard just before the sentencing in court.

She was found guilty in the Johnny Depp trial.

© dpa/Court TV Pool/AP |

Uncredited

Update from June 1st, 9:25 p.m .:

The verdict is:

The seven-member jury decided on Wednesday evening after a total of 13 hours of deliberations.

The Virginia grand jury also awarded actor Depp $15 million.

Update from June 1st, 9:21 p.m.:

First, all charges are read out, then the final verdict follows.

Due to the large number of points, this will take a moment.

Update from June 1st, 9:18 p.m .:

The judge is back in the room, the verdict is now being read out!

Update from June 1st, 9:04 p.m.:

The courtroom is full, the verdict is eagerly awaited.

It was supposed to start around 9 p.m., so it should only take a few moments.

However, there was apparently a glitch with a document, which is why there is a short delay.

Update from June 1st, 8:08 p.m .:

In the defamation trial between Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, the jury agreed on a verdict.

According to a court spokeswoman, the verdict is to be announced on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. CEST).

The decision of the seven-member jury in Fairfax, Virginia, came after a total of 13 hours of deliberations over three days.

Depp has sued his ex-wife for $50 million in damages after she accused him of domestic violence in a newspaper article.

Heard filed a countersuit, demanding twice as much in damages.

The six-week trial was broadcast live on the Internet and watched by millions.

In the process, Heard accused her ex-husband of repeatedly abusing and sexually abusing her.

Depp vehemently denied the allegations and instead accused Heard of repeatedly becoming violent.

The jury has reached a verdict in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial.

It is to be announced shortly.

© IMAGO / ZUMA Wire / IMAGO / MediaPunch

First Report:

Fairfax - Will the trial end in favor of Johnny Depp or Amber Heard?

The closing arguments have been read, and the seven jurors are now deliberating - for seven hours on May 31 alone.

They asked Judge Penney Azcarate a question that made observers sit up and take notice.

She concerned Heard's op-ed piece in The

.

In the 2018 article, the now 36-year-old described herself as a victim of domestic violence and wrote, among other things:

• “I spoke out against sexual violence and faced the ire of our society.

  This has to change” (that was the headline).

• "Two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse."

• "I've had a rare opportunity to see first-hand how men accused of violence are protected by institutions."

The question was whether the jury should judge the headline as “false” or “true” on its own – or as part of the whole article.

The answer: separately.

In his closing argument, Heard's attorney stressed that the statements in the

piece were true, regardless of whether the jury believed all of Heard's allegations in court.

Heard was married to Depp from 2015 to 2017 and had accused him of domestic violence in 2016 and filed for divorce.

Heard did not name Depp in her

article.

Depp vs. Heard: These are the points the jury is considering

, the seven jurors should

now agree on the following questions, among others:

• Whether the headline and the two passages quoted above refer to Depp.

• Whether they are factually incorrect.

• Whether they are “defamatory implication”.

• Whether Heard intended to harm her ex-husband with her statements.

• Whether Heard wrote the article with "actual malice"

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in court: Assessments and predictions

Now here's the interesting point: If the jury finds that Heard's testimonies don't unequivocally relate to Depp -- he's not named -- his defamation claim for damages could be over.

Texas judge Katherine Lizardo, meanwhile, told the

it was "too early to draw any conclusions" about which view the jury was leaning towards.

However, she told the newspaper that her inquiry could be an advantage for Depp because "if they conclude that he did not sexually abuse her, then what she said in the article would be defamatory". 

And defense attorney Halim Dhanidina told the

Post the jury's inquiry shows they are now focusing on "specific aspects of defamation" — but reading too much into their inquiry is like "reading coffee grounds."

At least the demand shows that the lay judges want to do their best.