Heard’s attorneys are asking for the verdict to be overturned in the trial vs. 0:42 onwards
(R) — Actress Amber Heard was thwarted in an attempt at a new trial in her defamation case with ex-husband Johnny Depp on Wednesday when a judge dismissed her lawyers’ argument that one of the jurors acted improperly.
In June, Heard was ordered to pay Depp $10.35 million in damages after a jury ruled that he defamed the Pirates of the Caribbean star in a newspaper article.
His attorneys had asked the judge in the case to overturn the decision and declare a mistrial, arguing that one of the jurors in the case should not be eligible because his subpoena was for his father, who had the same name and was im same house lived direction.
American actress Amber Heard was photographed at the trial of Johnny Depp on June 1, 2022. Credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Judge Penny Azcarate ruled that there was “no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing” by the jury and that the verdict should stand. He also noted that both sides had cross-examined and accepted all jurors early in the trial.
“Due process has been guaranteed and made available to all parties to this litigation,” Azcarate wrote.
Heard admits he doesn’t look like a good victim 0:51
Depp, 59, had sued Heard, arguing she defamed him when he described himself as “a public figure who advocates domestic violence” in a Washington Post op-ed. The actor denied hitting Heard, 36, and said it was she who became violent in their relationship.
Heard countered, saying Depp discredited her when her lawyer called her allegations a “joke”. The jury awarded Heard $2 million in damages in one of her counterclaims.
Heard said she only hit Depp to defend herself or her sister.