A judge has responded to a call from actress Amber Heard for the verdict in her widespread defamation case with Johnny Depp to be rejected.
In June, a Fairfax civilian jury awarded $ 10.35 million to Depp after discovering that Heard had defamed him when he wrote a 2018 opinion piece in The Washington Post about domestic violence.
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The jury also awarded $ 2 million to Heard for his counterclaim which was slandered by one of Depp’s lawyers after he labeled his allegations of deception.
In early July, in a motion filed in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Heard’s attorneys asked the court to “dismiss” the complaint and “investigate a possible inappropriate jury service.”
Among several arguments, Heartd’s lawyers suggested that a member of the jury may have been illegally selected.
Johnny Depp. Credit: Mondadori Portfolio / Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
According to court documents, a 77-year-old man was summoned.
But the man who responded in his place was his 52-year-old son, who bears the same name and lives in the same home.
However, in a written order, Judge Penney Azcarate rejected all of Heard’s allegations and said the jury’s question was specifically irrelevant and that Heard cannot prove he had prejudices.
“The jury was examined, sat for the entire jury, deliberated and reached a verdict. The only evidence before this Court is that this jury and all jurors followed their oaths, the instructions of the Court and orders.
“This Court is bound by the competent decision of the jury,” Azcarate wrote.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in 2014 in New York City. Credit: Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images
Heard’s attorneys had argued that Virginia’s law is strict about jury identities, and the misidentification case was grounds for annulment of the trial.
They presented no evidence that the 52-year-old son, identified in court documents only as jury number 15, deliberately or insidiously tried to replace his father, but they argue that it should not be ruled out.
“The Court cannot assume, as Mr Depp asks, that the seemingly inadequate service of jury 15 was an innocent mistake. It could have been a deliberate attempt to be part of the jury in a high-profile case.” , wrote Heart’s lawyers.
Heard still has the ability to appeal the verdict to the Virginia Court of Appeals.
Depp in 2020. Credit: NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty ImagesA Fairfax civil jury awarded $ 10.35 million to Depp after he found out he was defamed by Heard Credit: Getty / Instagram
The issues raised in the appellate court could be different from those Azcarate rejected Wednesday.
In an independent order, the judge ordered dozens of court documents to be sealed, including motions seeking to force independent medical examinations by both Depp and Heard.
A handful of documents will remain sealed, mostly because they contain personal contact information or personal medical information.
“In this matter, both litigants sued each other, thus opening up to the public forum of a jury trial. Judicial records are public information,” Azcarate wrote.
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The development is the final chapter in a few dramatic months for Hollywood star Depp.
A few days before the judge ruled on Heard’s appeal, the court documents obtained by E! The news showed that Depp had reached an agreement with a location manager who claimed the actor had beaten him while filming the crime thriller City of Lies.
Gregg ‘Rocky’ Brooks alleged in court documents, obtained by E! The news of the time, that Depp got angry when he told the actor that the filming of City of Lies had to close one night due to the city’s permit policies.
Brooks also said Depp “hit the plaintiff maliciously and forcefully twice in the lower left of his rib cage.”
Johnny Depp without facial hair at a recent concert in Helsinki. Credit: Venla Shalin / Redferns
Brooks also alleged in the lawsuit that he suffered “physical pain and emotional and psychological injuries” from the alleged assault, adding that “Depp’s intoxication and temperament created a hostile, abusive and insecure work environment.”
The location manager said in the lawsuit that he was eventually fired from film production after he refused to sign a statement, waiving his right to sue for the incident.
Depp’s lawyers said in a statement to E! August 2018 News: “Despite false media reports suggesting otherwise, Johnny Depp never touched the person who sued him, as more than a dozen witnesses present testify.”
“In a court filing, we have generally denied all claims and will fight the latest false allegations.”
E! News reported that Depp reached an agreement with Brooks on July 11, before they were to go to a civil trial on July 25.
It has been reported that a hearing is scheduled to dismiss the case for February 2023.
With AP
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