Judge Penney Azcarate on Wednesday denied Amber Heard’s motion to cancel her ex-husband’s libel trial, finding no reason to overturn the jury’s verdict in Johnny Depp’s favor.
Heard asked the court to overturn the verdict and order a retrial after discovering that one of the seven jurors had not received a subpoena. Heard’s team said the jury summons was sent to a member of the same family who is 25 years older than the juror who appeared in court.
But in his ruling on Wednesday, Azcarate dismissed that argument, arguing that Heard’s team should have raised the objection earlier and that there is no evidence of fraud or evidence that the mistake influenced the trial.
“The defendant does not argue that the inclusion of the Fifteen juror in the jury has harmed her in any way,” the judge wrote. “The juror was examined, attended the entire trial, deliberated and reached a verdict. The only evidence before this Court is that this juror and all jurors have followed the oaths, instructions and orders of the Court. . This Court is bound by the competent decision of the jury. “
The jury found that Heard defamed Depp by alluding to the domestic violence allegations against him in a December 2018 editorial. They ordered the actress to pay $ 10 million in damages and $ 5 million in punitive damages in favor of Depp. but the second amount was reduced to $ 350,000 below the legal limit allowed in the state of Virginia. The jury also found Depp responsible for a defamatory statement about Heard, via her attorney, and awarded her $ 2 million. Therefore, the actress owes her ex-husband $ 8.35 million.
After the motion is rejected, Heard must file a formal appeal once the sentence becomes final.
The detail is that the judge has conditioned the appeal to the full payment of the 8.35 million dollars due as a bail, and the actress claims that she does not have that money.
Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
