Actor Amber Heard has been reportedly planning an appeal after losing a defamation suit against her ex-husband Johnny Depp over allegations of domestic abuse.
Virginia court jurors ruled in favor of Depp’s defamation suit on three counts, awarding the Caribbean Pirates plaintiff $ 15 million (£ 12 million), which the judge later reduced. at $ 10.35 million.
Alafair Hall, a spokesman for Heard, said the Aquaman actor had planned to appeal the decision, according to the New York Times.
Heard had demanded $ 100 million in a counterclaim against Depp in which she said she was defamed by her press agent who described her accusations as “a deception of abuse” with the aim of capitalizing on the #MeToo movement. . He was only successful in one case and received $ 2 million.
Depp’s lawyers convinced the jury that he did not assault Heard and that his allegations of domestic abuse in a Washington Post article defamed Depp and did so “maliciously” or knowing that the claim was false.
In a subsequent statement, in which no mention was made of the alleged appeal, Heard expressed his disappointment. She said: “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means to other women.”
Heard added: “It’s a setback. Put the clock back on a time when a woman who spoke and spoke could be embarrassed and publicly humiliated. It revokes the idea that violence against women should be taken seriously.”
The jury’s unanimous decision ended a seven-week trial that featured dozens of witnesses and experts who decided whether Depp abused Heard during his 15-month marriage.
Johnny Depp wins defamation case against Amber Heard – video
Lisa Bloom, a high-profile American lawyer representing women whose sexual harassment allegations led to the dismissal of Fox News presenter Bill O’Reilly, predicted that the Heard-Depp case would be resolved in appeal.
Speaking to BBC Two’s Newsnight, he said: “I want to stress that this is not the end because most defamation cases are really decided on appeal.”
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He added: “I have handled a number of defamation cases, including the portrayal of Janice Dickinson against Bill Cosby. [when] we had to argue two appeals in that case, both were successful.
“I think this is an inconsistent verdict. How could it be that Amber Heard was slandered when Johnny Depp’s lawyer said his accusations were a hoax, and yet Johnny Depp was also slandered when he said that was it representative of domestic violence?
“He also received the verdict of defamation by the headline of the article, which did not write … I think this will increase in appeal. I think that in a year or two, we will have a more definitive answer and result in this case”.