'We Believe the Court Made Errors,' says Amber Heard in her official appeal filing against the Johnny Depp verdict

Updated on July 22, 2022 11:59 AM by Anthony Christian

The Judgement

A seven-person jury rendered a judgment on June 1 in Depp's favor primarily, giving him more than $10 million in damages. Despite not mentioning the actor by name, they found that Heard, 36, defamed him in an opinion piece she published about surviving assault in 2018.

In addition, the jury decided in her favor on one of her three defamation countersuit allegations, awarding her $2 million in damages.

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Allegations of Domestic Abuse

Amber Heard intends to urge a Virginia court to overturn the jury's decision in Johnny Depp's defamation case regarding allegations of domestic abuse.

A week after a judge denied her a new trial, the "Aquaman" actress filed a notice of appeal on Thursday, according to online documents from the Virginia Court of Appeals.

No proof of jury fraud

The change occurs a week after Judge Penney Azcarate rejected Heard's motion for a mistrial due to a problem with one of the jurors who didn't appear to be a member of their household who was called for jury service.

The judge stated that there was no proof of jury fraud and emphasized that Heard's team had weeks to raise the issue rather than waiting until the case had reached a negative conclusion. Before the judge's decision, Depp's team had made analogous points in response to the post-trial motion.

Court's Decision

Late last month, when the court made the decision public, she decided that there would be a 6% yearly interest added to the damages and stated that if Heard wanted to appeal, she would need to post a bail covering the full amount of the damages she owed.

Unaffordable Judgement's Cost

Heard planned to fight the decision, and her attorney Elaine Bredehoft stated in a TV interview the following day that the actress could "absolutely not" afford to cover the judgment's cost. Heard had accrued $6 million in legal bills by that point in the trial, according to Bredehoft's closing remarks.

Later, in another televised interview, Depp's attorney Benjamin Chew claimed that for the actor, the case was "never about money... this was about rebuilding his name, and he's done that."

Heartbroken by the Judgement

Depp claimed in a statement that he felt like the jury, which consisted of five men and two women, had "given me my life back" in response to the verdict last month.

Heard, on the other hand, saw the decision as a "setback" for women and expressed her heartbreak at the fact that the pile of evidence was insufficient to counter her ex-excessive husband's power, influence, and sway.

At the time, she added, "I regret losing this case. Sadder still, I feel as though I have lost freedom of speech that I believed I had as an American."

Traveling Abroad

Since then, Depp has been traveling abroad with Jeff Beck, with whom he has also recorded an album. In a sit-down interview with Savannah Guthrie of NBC News, Heard stated that she still has "no ill will" against Depp and that she stands by every word of her testimony.

Depp struck a pre-trial settlement with a staff member from one of his movies who accused him of violence, which he denied. Separately, Heard is engaged in a legal dispute with her insurance company about who is responsible for paying her court costs.