A Virginia judge has rejected a request for a mistrial by Amber Heard after her ex-husband Johnny Depp won his defamation case against her. This verdict requires Amber Heard to pay $10 million in damages. Last week, Heard’s team attempted to call for a mistrial after it was revealed an unsummoned juror was on the panel. This juror was a 52-year-old with the same last name and address as the juror who was summoned. Regardless, Deadline reports that Judge Penny Azcarate has rejected the call for a mistrial saying, “The juror was vetted, sat for the entire jury, deliberated, and reached a verdict. The only evidence before this Court is that this juror and all jurors followed their oaths, the Court’s instructions, and orders. This Court is bound by the competent decision of the jury.”
Rejection of Mistrial Leaves Amber Heard in Debt to Johnny Depp
With this call for a mistrial rejected, Heard still owes Depp a large sum of money that she and her legal team insist she cannot afford to pay. While Heard and her lawyers have repeatedly said they will appeal, they have been warned it will be a costly decision. Judge Azcarate’s rejection is yet another sign of the uphill battle Heard has ahead of her.
This defamation trial stemmed from a 2018 op-ed that Heard wrote for The Washington Post in which she described being a victim of domestic abuse. While she did not mention Depp by name, his identity was heavily implied, and Depp became a social pariah and was let go from major roles. When Depp sued for defamation, many of Heard’s allegations were brought into question due to contradictions in her testimonies and from witnesses. The bizarre trial ended in Johnny Depp’s favor, and Heard has since taken on the pariah role in the public eye. Actor Mickey Rourke has spoken on the matter, referring to Heard as a gold digger.
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