Depp's Lawyers Answer Attempt to Toss Verdict

They differ with Heard's argument that the $10M verdict wasn't supported by evidence
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 4, 2022 6:29 AM CDT
Updated Jul 11, 2022 5:05 PM CDT
Amber Heard’s Attorneys Are Not Done Yet
This combination of photos shows Johnny Depp testifying at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va., on April 21, 2022, left, and Amber Heard testifying on May 26, 2022.   (AP Photo)

Update: It's understandable that Amber Heard would want Johnny Depp's defamation suit victory against her thrown out and a new trial ordered, his lawyers told a court Monday, but there's no legitimate reason to do that. "Virginia law is clear that a verdict is not to be set aside unless it is 'plainly wrong or without evidence to support it,'" the lawyers wrote, per Deadline. "Here, the verdict was well supported by the overwhelming evidence." Also, Heard's former insurance company filed suit Friday saying it shouldn't have to pay her legal fees, per People. Part of its reasoning is that the $1 million policy doesn't cover "willful acts" by the insured. Our original story from July 3 follows:

If you haven't had enough of the seemingly never-ending Johnny Depp-Amber Heard drama, well, it has apparently not had enough of us. As the Guardian reports, Heard's lawyers have filed a claim requesting that the $10 million June defamation judgment against her be tossed—and taken 43 pages to explain why, mostly boiling down to their claim that the award was not based on the evidence. Depp “proceeded solely on a defamation by implication theory, abandoning any claims that Ms. Heard’s statements were actually false," Heard's lawyers claim, adding that the $10 million was excessive given the split verdict. Depp's lawyer waived the filing off as "what we expected, just longer, no more substantive." (More Amber Heard stories.)

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