Amber Heard Accuses ‘Deeply Troubling’ American Jury System, Demands Johnny Depp Victory Verdict Be Nullified as Mistrial
The last few years saw Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s ugly spat coming out, in public. The legal brawl came about due to the allegations of domestic violence against Jonny Depp, Heard’s ex-husband. The legal proceedings ended on the 1st of June, 2022 with Amber Heard being handed out a series of penalties. The case went in favor of the globally loved actor, Johnny Depp.
The two Hollywood stars (Johnny Depp and Amber Heard), tied the knot in February 2015. However, Heard filed for a divorce just 15 months post the wedding. Johnny Depp agreed to a divorce settlement and was willing to pay Heard an amount “in the region of 8 million.” Heard had alleged Depp of being physically abusive under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
The Depp-Heard trial
While Depp had denied the accusations through his representatives and said Amber Heard was, “attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse.” Later in 2018, Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post stating, “I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.” In 2019, Depp sued Heard for 50 million for defamation over the WaPo article. The suit mentions that Heard “is not a victim of domestic abuse, she is a perpetrator.” The entirety of which made the headlines with millions of fans coming out in support of either of the parties. After numerous court trials, on 1st June 2022, all allegations against Depp were dropped.
A month after the final verdict was passed. Amber Heard’s lawyer claimed for a mistrial in the Johnny Depp defamation case, alleging a Juror mix-up. Amber Heard wants the alleged occurrence to be declared a ‘mistrial.’
In documents filed with the Circuit Court of Fairfax County obtained by reports on Friday, Heard’s lawyers claimed she is entitled to a mistrial “based on newly discovered facts and information that Juror No. 15 was not the individual summoned for jury duty on April 11, 2022.” The filing states, “It is deeply troubling for an individual not summoned for jury duty nonetheless to appear for jury duty and serve on a jury, especially in a such as this,” the filing says, noting the “high-profile” status of the trial “where the fact and date of the jury trial were highly publicized before and after the issuance of the juror summonses.” The actress’ lawyers added she was not given the proper “due process,” so she’s asking for a mistrial ‘and a new trial ordered.”
What’s next in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard saga?
When approached by the media a representative of Johnny Depp had no comment. The filing incident comes just days after Heard’s counsel asked for the verdict to be thrown out altogether. In the 43-page filing, the actress argued that the verdict was not backed by enough evidence. She further adds in a claim, that it was wrong on Johnny Depp’s behalf to blame her for losing his role in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series owing to the Washington Post op-ed, where Heard, 36, mentions being abused but did not specifically name the abuser.
Amber Heard’s legal team argued that Depp “proceeded solely on a defamation by implication theory, abandoning any claims that Ms. Heard’s statements were false.” While Depp, the Oscar-winning actor won all three defamation cases against Heard. The newly filed allegations could stir up the matter all over again. Amber Heard has filed a countersuit seeking $100 million in damages claiming Depp spearheading a campaign to discredit her and her allegations as “fake” and a “hoax,” harming her career and reputation.
Source: People.com
