Almost immediately following the verdict in the defamation duel between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, Heard’s legal team announced plans to appeal the verdict. Now the appeal has been officially filed, so everyone is probably preparing for the resumption of the storm on social media.
Amber Heard was ordered to pay Johnny Depp $ 15 million in damages for what a jury deemed to be defamatory statements in a Washington Post editorial she wrote. Damages have been reduced to just over $ 10 million to comply with Virginia state law, but Heard’s team is unwilling to pay it. Variety confirmed that the appeal was filed. When she appealed, a spokesperson for Amber Heard said the court had made mistakes the first time and therefore the verdict should be appealed, despite the ensuing “Twitter bonfires”. The statement says …
We believe the court made mistakes that prevented a fair and equitable verdict under the First Amendment. Therefore, we appeal the verdict. While we understand that today’s presentation will ignite fires on Twitter, there are steps we need to take to ensure fairness and justice.
And after this call there will surely be “Twitter bonfires”. The first trial was a media and social circus, so there’s no reason to believe the appeal will be any different. both sides had their supporters, as well as their own vocal detractors.
The social media attacks were also part of Amber Heard’s defamation case, as the water man Star believed that Depp had hired an army of robots to slander her on Twitter. A recent report indicated that this was not the case, that most of the people who attacked Heard were, in fact, human.
Heard’s legal team had previously attempted to overturn the verdict completely, arguing that one of the jurors in the case was improper and therefore the verdict had to be overturned. The judge ruled on this point and no fraud was found, so the request to overturn the verdict was denied. Heard’s team was likely awaiting a decision on the matter before pursuing the appeal.
Given the length of the initial trial before a jury, it may take some time for this appeal to be heard. Once that happens, various things can happen. If the appeals court finds none of Heard’s errors, the verdict remains valid. Even if you find bugs, it doesn’t mean we’ll see another test. The appeals court could simply change or overrule the sentence. which means Heard could end up paying less, or maybe nothing.
Source: Cinemablend
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
