Amber Heard Files Appeal Against Johnny Depp Defamation Verdict

In a landmark verdict for defamation, the jury sided with Johnny Depp, asking Amber Heard to pay $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The punitive damages award was then lowered to $350,000 to comply with Virginia’s statutory cap, according to Variety. 

However, Heard is now appealing against this verdict, saying that it doesn’t hold up the values of fairness and justice. While the appeal has been in planning for a while, Heard’s legal team filed the notice of appeal in Virginia on Thursday, telling the court they intend to appeal the jury trial verdict and all the post-trial motions that did not go in favor of their client in the civil case with Depp, CNN reported.

“We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment,” Heard’s spokesperson said on Thursday. “We are therefore appealing the verdict. While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.” Heard had claimed that she would appeal immediately when the trial didn’t go her way on June 1, 2022. 

After the trial, she released a statement. “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I'm heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband,” Heard wrote. “I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”

Consequently, when asked for a statement, the spokesperson for Depp indicated that they have faith in the court and its verdict. “The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented during the six-week trial and came to a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr. Depp, in multiple instances,” his spokesperson said. “We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand.”

Heard has made many attempts at having the verdict withdrawn. In one of them, she appealed to Judge Penney Azcarate after a juror showed up to trial without ever receiving a summons. Judge Azcarte slid this allegation aside after finding that she had waited too long to raise her objection and had not shown she was denied a fair trial. Earlier this month, a Virginia judge had also denied seven post-trial motions Heard filed in an attempt to fight the jury verdict.

The six-week defamation trial mentioned above was based on the op-ed Amber Heard had written for The Washington Post, detailing her experiences with domestic abuse and sexual violence.