Amber Heard has formally appealed the verdict in the defamation case that her ex-husband Johnny Depp won against her in June. The actress asks for the judgment to be overturned or, at the very least, postponed until a new trial.
In 2019, Depp sued his ex-wife for $50 million in defamation after Amber Heard penned an article about domestic violence for The Washington Post. Heard then sued Depp for $100 million, claiming that the litigation brought by her ex-husband was also negatively affecting her acting career. Depp prevailed in the legal conflict in June. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is suing her for supposedly damaging his career with her accusations.
What is Amber Heard’s appeal based on
The grounds for Amber Heard’s appeal include the claim that the trial shouldn’t have occurred in Virginia. And the Washington Post’s servers shouldn’t be enough to link the case to the state.
The plaintiff’s attorneys also argue that Heard’s article for the Washington Post is protected speech. “The disputed statements are unchallengeable expressions of opinion. They are not reasonably capable of conveying the alleged defamatory implication.” And that the ruling “if left in place, will no doubt have a chilling effect on other women who wish to speak out about abuse involving powerful men.”
In 2018, a British court found Johnny Depp guilty in Amber Heard’s libel case against the tabloid, The Sun. The tabloid labeled the actor a “wife beater” based entirely on an article by Heard, another crucial factor in the appeal.
According to the reasoning, how can anybody possibly know that Heard defamed Depp by alleging that he assaulted her if Depp pays his ex-wife $2 million in damages for claiming she lied about abuse? Due to Amber Heard’s victory in one of her defamation cases, this is the case.
The Virginia Commonwealth Supreme Court has reopened a panel of Virginia judges who will now render judgment on the appeals. Depending on their ruling, the case might even be retried. This court case, which has been ongoing for over three years, still needs to be resolved.
