Johnny Depp Files Appeal to Amber Heard’s Countersuit Verdict

Following news this week that Amber Heard and her legal team have officially filed an appeal in the verdict of Johnny Depp’s defamation suit, the Academy Award-nominated actor has filed an appeal of his own. As readers may recall, the trial that took social media by storm earlier this summer was not only with regard to Depp alleging that Heard had defamed him in her Washington Post op-ed, but also a countersuit filed by Heard where she alleged Depp and his former attorney had defamed her in another article. The jury found that both had defamed each other to certain extents, forcing payments from each.x

“Plaintiff and Counterclaim-Defendant John C. Depp, II, by counsel, hereby appeals to the Court of Appeals of Virginia from all adverse rulings and from the final judgment order of this Circuit Court entered on June 24, 2022,” the notice of appeal reads (H/T Deadline). While Heard was ordered to pay $10 million in compensatory damages to Depp by the Jury, the Pirates of the Caribbean star was ordered to pay $2 million in compensatory damages, the appeal filed today is with regard to that sum.

“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” Depp wrote in a statement after the initial verdict was read. “Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”

He added, “I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world. I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media.”

It is unclear what will happen next, but so far Heard’s strategies post-trial have not been well received by the court. The Aquaman star and her team previously filed a request for a mistrial, throwing out the entire verdict, after alleging potential fraud by one of the juror’s in the case. Heard’s team filed this motion on the grounds that one of the juror’s may have been an imposter. Judge Penney Azcarate denied the motion, another element of the trial that Heard’s team filed in their most recent appeal.

(Cover Photo by Cliff Owen/Consdolidated News Pictures/Getty Images)