It appears that world-famous Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard’s legal battle is far from over. Amber has unexpectedly demanded a new trial.
The American actress brought her case to the Virginia courts, asking that Johnny Depp be given a new trial in the defamation lawsuit filed against her by her ex-husband.
Last month, Amber Heard’s lawyers filed an appeal claiming that the decision to exclude her medical records- in which she documented the abuse she endured from Johnny Depp- led to biased results in the trial.
Additionally, last June Virginia courts ruled in favor of Johnny Depp during his defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard. This was due to an article written by Amber herself where she accused Johnny of being abusive without using his name.
68-page document
At the end of November, Amber’s legal team submitted a 68-page document to the court. In this document, Amber’s attorneys noted that the jury was not given adequate evidence in several cases where Amber reported abuse inflicted by Johnny Depp to medical professionals.
According to the document, if this were reversed, it would be more difficult for victims of abuse to substantiate allegations of abuse and potentially prevent them from reporting.
The lawyers think that if this decision is followed, it would scare other women who want to speak up about the abuse they experienced from rich and powerful men.
Amber’s lawyers noted that the Virginia court system should not have been used in this case, as another court had already ruled that Johnny had abused Amber multiple times. The UK High Court of Justice made this determination in a defamation suit against Johnny that was separate from Amber’s case.
California not Virginia
While Amber’s legal team debates whether the trial should take place in California or Virginia, it is important to note that The Washington Post is located in Virginia. This means that any allegations made by Johnny would have nothing to do with the state of Virginia.
In 2019, Johnny Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard. Last June, the court awarded him $10 million in damages and another $5 million in punitive damages–which were later reduced to $350 thousand dollars. The court ruled in favor of Amber with compensation of only $2 million.
The six-week long trial between the famous duo garnered a lot of public interest and media coverage, as television stations reported on it directly and social networks shared video clips from the trial.
