A Virginia judge has rejected an attempt by actress Amber Heard to set aside a $10 million judgment in favor of her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, who filed defamation charges against Heard in a high-profile civil trial last month. had won the case. Heard won a small judgment for $2 million on a counterclaim filed against Depp. Earlier this month, Heard filed a motion seeking to quash Depp’s decision, or to declare wrongdoing.
Her lawyers cited a number of factors, including a clear case of mistaken identity with a jury member. In a written order, Judge Penny Azkaret dismissed all of Heard’s claims, saying that the juror’s issue was particularly irrelevant and that Heard could not show that she was prejudiced.
“The juror was examined, sat for the entire jury, deliberated, and arrived at a verdict. The only evidence before this Court is that this jury and all jurors have taken their oaths, obeyed the directions and orders of the Court.” This Court is bound by the competent decision of the Jury,” Azkart wrote. Read also: Documentary on Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial set for digital debut
Depp sued Fairfax County for $50 million after Heard wrote a 2018 op-ed piece about domestic violence in The Washington Post, in which she described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” referred to as. Depp’s name was never mentioned in the article, but his lawyers said several passages in the article defame him by referring to the highly publicized abuse allegations that he filed for divorce in 2016.
Hurd then filed a $100 million counterclaim for defamation. By the time the case went to trial, his counterargument was reduced to certain statements made by one of Depp’s attorneys, who called Heard’s allegations of misconduct a hoax.
The jury awarded $15 million to Depp and $2 million to Hurd over his counterclaim. The $15 million judgment was reduced to $10.
35 million because Virginia law places punitive damages at $350,000. The judge did not justify the dismissal of Hurd’s other claims in Wednesday’s order.
Among other things, Hurd argued that the $10 million verdict is unsupported by facts, and seems to demonstrate that gamblers failed to focus on the fallout from the 2018 op-ed piece—as they were doing. The ones were – and instead saw broadly the damage that has been done to Depp’s reputation as a result of the alleged abuse.
Heard’s lawyers also argued that the decisions for Depp on the one hand and Heard on the other are fundamentally meaningless.
“The jury’s dueling decisions are inconsistent and irreparable,” wrote his lawyers, Elaine Breedhoft and Benjamin Rottenborn.
Hurd’s lawyers also challenged the decision on the grounds that one of the seven jurors who decided the case had never been called to jury duty.
According to court papers, a 77-year-old county resident received a jury summons. But the man’s son, who has the same name and lives at the same address, answered the summons and served in his place.
Heard’s attorneys argued that Virginia law is strict regarding juror identification, and that a case of mistaken identity is grounds for falsification.
He produced no evidence that the 52-year-old son, identified in court papers as juror #15, intentionally or fraudulently sought to replace his father, but argues that the possibility should not be discounted. needed.
“The Court cannot assume, as Mr. Depp has asked it, that Juror 15’s apparently improper service was an innocent mistake. It may have been a deliberate attempt to serve on the jury of a high-profile case, Hurd’s lawyers wrote.
Hurd still has the ability to appeal the decision in the Virginia Court of Appeals.
The issues presented in the appellate court may be different from the issues dismissed on Wednesday.