Amber Heard Has Filed An Appeal Asking For A Reversal Or A New Trial Against Johnny Depp’s Defamation Suit

Because dominating the press cycle with their marital drama from the years 2016 to present hasn’t quite been enough, both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have now filed appeals to the Virginia court’s ruling in their most recent defamation trial, which ended with a jury siding with Johnny on all but one of Amber’s counter complaints. Earlier last month, Johnny filed to appeal the one judgment that went in Amber’s favor, and now, Amber’s filed an appeal to have the verdict overturned completely or be awarded an entirely new trial. Deadline reports that it could take years and the involvement of the Virginia Supreme Court “before this is settled, if it ever really is.” In which case, somebody might want to go nudge Helena Bonham Carter awake and offer her some extra long-acting smelling salts for when she passes right back out again after she learns her friend Johnny might not be “completely vindicated” after all.

In her appeal, Amber’s team argues that the case “should never have gone to trial because another court had already concluded that Depp abused Heard on multiple occasions,” referencing the UK libel trial Johnny lost to The Sun for calling him a “wife beater.” Amber’s team also argues that the case should have been dismissed because of the location of the trial, which awarded Johnny over $10 million dollars (minus the $2 million he was ordered to pay Amber for the one complaint that his lawyer made defamatory statements about Amber during trial), was “based on its mistaken conclusion that Depp’s claims arose in Virginia because the Washington Post’s servers are located here,” instead of in California. They further claim that the statements she wrote in her Washington Post oped that were litigated as defamatory were, in fact, “non-actionable expressions of opinion and are not reasonably capable of conveying the alleged defamatory implication.” This is why I limit my shit talking to the INDISPUTABLE FACTS about his hair, teeth, and gums. Deadline reports:

Less than a month after Johnny Depp filed his formal appeal of some of the verdict in his sweeping defamation case against Amber Heard, Heard has put her own brief in the Virginia courts.

And Heard’s new-ish lawyers are flying the flag of the First Amendment and taking trial court Judge Penney Azcarate to task, repeatedly.

“The trial court erroneously refused to dismiss this action on the ground of forum non conveniens, based on its mistaken conclusion that Depp’s claims arose in Virginia because the Washington Post’s servers are located here,” said Jay Ward Brown and David L. Axelrod in the appeal filed November 23. “The trial court also erred in overruling Heard’s demurrer, in which she argued that the challenged statements are non-actionable expressions of opinion and are not reasonably capable of conveying the alleged defamatory implication,” the D.C.-based and constitutional-law specialists Ballard Spahr LLP attorneys added (read the appeal here).

“That holding, if allowed to stand, undoubtedly will have a chilling effect on other women who wish to speak about abuse involving powerful men.”

Deadline notes that the $2 million counterclaim that Johnny lost to Amber might just be the Trojan horse that winds up kicking Johnny in the teeth (which would be a great excuse for him to seek professional help to get those things looked at).

Striking at the time, that $2 million counterclaim award could prove the Achilles heel for the initial case, at least if Heard’s legal team get their way.

“The resulting jury verdict against Heard on all of Depp’s claims cannot be reconciled with the jury verdict against Depp on Heard’s counterclaim,” said Heard’s appeal from just before Thanksgiving.

“To find in favor of Depp, the jury must have concluded that Depp did not abuse Heard and that Heard knowingly lied in accusing him of abuse,” the dense document says. “But, to find in favor of Heard, the jury must have concluded that Heard told the truth about being a victim of domestic abuse by Depp. Accordingly, the verdict against Heard cannot stand.”

I don’t know how any of these folks can still stand after what we’ve witnessed over the past couple of years. Have we actually seen Johnny stand on his own two feet or has been getting help from the CGI masters that worked their magic at the Fenty Fashion show this entire time? If the latter, can’t y’all fix his teeth or something before his next court appearance?

Pic: Cliff Owen – CNP/DPA/Cover Images