Amber Heard v. Johnny Depp: Actress officially files to appeal verdict in legal battle
A judge sided with Johnny Depp after he sued ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Amber Heard has filed an appeal to overturn the ruling in her case against ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Lawyers for Heard pointed out 16 errors made during the trial, in the court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. Specifically, the lawyers argued that the trial should have been held in California and that the trial shouldn't have taken place at all because Depp had already been found to have abused Heard in a United Kingdom court.
Additionally, the lawyers claim that the jury verdicts contradicted each other.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"To find in favor of Depp, the jury must have concluded that Depp did not abuse Heard and that Heard knowingly lied in accusing him of abuse. But, to find in favor of Heard, the jury must have concluded that Heard told the truth about being a victim of domestic abuse by Depp," the lawyers wrote. "Accordingly, the verdict against Heard cannot stand."
Amber Heard has officially filed an appeal of the court's decision in her legal case against ex-husband Johnny Depp. (Getty Images)
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The documents also state that the verdict "undoubtedly will have a chilling effect on other women who wish to speak about abuse involving powerful men."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}They further argued the compensatory and punitive damages awarded to Depp were "excessive."
Heard is asking the court to reverse the decision against her and either enter judgment for her or dismiss Depp's claims without prejudice. The other request is for a whole new trial if the court does not want to reverse the decision based on the appeal.
"At a minimum, the jury’s excessive damages verdict should be reversed and the case should be remanded for a new trial on damages," the court documents read.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Johnny Depp won his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard earlier this year. He sued the actress after she wrote an op-ed in 2018 in which she characterized herself as a victim of domestic abuse. (Michael Reynolds)
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Depp sued Heard for defamation after the actress wrote an op-ed in 2018 in which she referred to herself as a survivor of domestic abuse. Although she didn't mention Depp by name, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor claimed the article affected his career.
The judge sided with Depp and the actor was awarded $10.3 million in damages.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, the judge reduced the punitive damages to $350,000 due to Virginia law.
Heard lost the defamation case, but was awarded $2 million due to a countersuit she had filed. The jurors found that Depp had defamed the "Aquaman" actress through his attorney.
After divorcing in 2017, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp accused each other domestic abuse. (Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Much of the testimony during the six-week trial focused on Heard’s claims that she had been physically and sexually abused by Depp at least a dozen times. Depp insisted that he never hit Heard and that she was the abuser.
"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," a spokesperson for Depp said in a statement. "We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand."
Amber Heard leaves the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia following the Johnny Depp defamation trial. (Win McNamee)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.