It is not yet known if there will be a reversal as Amber Heard appeals the verdict given against her. Amber Heard’s appeal was officially filed six months after her highly publicized trial, which she lost. Her lawyers filed documents to appeal the verdict for three reasons. Find out what they are below.
Amber Heard Appeals Court Judgment
Six months after losing against her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, in their high-profile defamation battle, Amber draws the sword again.
The actress lost the case and was found guilty of defaming Johnny in an op-ed piece for The Washington Post. Thereafter, the court ordered her to pay him $10 million in damages.
Court documents obtained by Deadline outlined the Drive Angry star’s reasons for filing an appeal. In her appeal, Amber claimed that “the court erred in not dismissing Depp’s claims before trial.”
The second claim is that “the trial court erred in denying Heard’s motion to set aside the jury verdict based on Depp’s failure to provide actual malice.” The 36-year-old also claimed that “the trial court erred in failing to grant a new trial for multiple reasons.”
Amber insisted in her appeal that Johnny’s defamation claims against her should have been dismissed before a trial occurred.
According to her, “the challenge statements [made by Amber] are non-actionable expressions of opinion” and “the challenged statements are not reasonably capable of conveying a defamatory implication as a matter of law.”
The Ward star wrote in a Washington Post op-ed in 2018 about being a representative for victims of domestic violence. While she didn’t mention Johnny’s name in the article, several things pointed him out as the person in question.
Their relationship, split, and Amber’s previous claims of domestic violence against Johnny were highly publicized. Amber also filed for a restraining order against Johnny in 2016.
Amber’s appeal also accused Johnny of not providing clear evidence that she intended to communicate the alleged defamatory implications.
Moreover, she accused him of failing to provide persuasive evidence that she “either knew the alleged implication that he had abused her was false or subjectively entertained serious doubts about its truth.”
She also claimed that the court made “numerous evidentiary errors that severely prejudiced” her at the trial. Amber alleged that the court made an error by “excluding evidence of Depp’s abuse and Heard’s state of mind” during the trial.
Amber Heard Appeals Damages Awarded Against Her
The actress is also seeking to overturn the ruling ordering her to pay $10 million to Johnny. Johnny filed for $50 million in damages. However, the court awarded him $10 million.
Amber Heard’s appeal reiterated that the amount of damages is excessive. Meanwhile, her lawyer also previously stated the mother of one could not afford the amount required.
Amber Heard’s appeal stated that it would negatively impact other women seeking to speak about abuse involving powerful men.
Interestingly, in November, Johnny also appealed part of the verdict in the case, and the court ordered the Pirates of the Caribbean actor to pay Amber Heard $2 million in damages.
Amber countersued Johnny after he sued her for defamation, claiming that he defamed her through three statements made by his lawyer to DailyMail. Johnny is now appealing one of the three statements, which the court found to be defamatory.
Court cases are exhausting and usually unpleasant. Hopefully, Amber and Johnny will settle their differences soon so that they can move on with their lives.
