Amber Heard will appeal the multi-million-dollar libel judgment against her that a Virginia jury said must be paid to her ex, Johnny Depp, USA Today reports.
On Thursday, lawyers for Heard formally notified a Virginia court that she intends to appeal the verdict in the lawsuit Depp filed alleging that she defamed him.
“Please take notice that Defendant and Counterclaim Plaintiff Amber Laura Heard, pursuant to Rule 5:9 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia, hereby gives Notice of her Appeal to the Virginia Court of Appeals from this Court’s June 24, 2022 Final Judgment Order, the July 13, 2022 Order on Defendant and Counterclaim Plaintiff Amber Laura Beard’s Post-Trial Motions (“Post-Trial Motions Order”), and from all additional Orders and rulings by the Trial Court prior to the entry of the Final Judgment Order and Post-Trial Motions Order.”
Shortly after the notice was filed, representatives for Heard issued a statement explaining their reason for the appeal.
“We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment,” the representative told TMZ. “We are therefore appealing the verdict. While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.”
Heard has yet to pay an $8.3 million bond that Virginia law requires for the appeal to proceed.
Depp’s team also released a statement on Thursday that they believe the jury got it right.
“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, according to Fox News. “We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand.”
The lawsuit alleged that Heard defamed Depp in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed about domestic abuse.
Heard’s legal team unsuccessfully tried to get the $10.3 million award tossed and a new trial, but the judge denied the request.
Jurors in June awarded Depp $15 million in damages, which the court reduced to $10.35 million to comply with damages limitations in Virginia law. The jury also awarded Heard $2 million in damages for her countersuit.
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Feature Photo: This combination of photos shows actor Johnny Depp testifying at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va., on April 21, 2022, left, and actor Amber Heard testifying in the same courtroom on May 26, 2022. The judge in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial made a jury’s award official Friday with a written order for Heard to pay Depp $10.35 million for damaging his reputation by describing herself as a domestic abuse victim in an op-ed piece she wrote. (AP Photo)
