The actress claimed that one of the jurors had not been properly screened, so the libel trial should be repeated. Judge Penney Azcarate dismissed her application and said Depp’s legal victory stood and the jury had made a “competent decision”. Heard’s attorneys filed documents last week claiming that “newly discovered facts and information” about the juror meant the much-publicized verdict should be overturned. They said one of those originally called to serve on the jury, a 77-year-old man, failed to appear and was replaced by his son – who has the same name and lives at the same address. Her team also argued that the verdict was not supported by evidence presented during the trial, arguing that the jury failed to focus on the fallout from the Washington Post article around which the trial revolved. Judge Azcarate said the jury issue was irrelevant and that Heard could not show she was prejudiced. “The juror was screened, engaged with the entire jury, deliberated and reached a verdict,” he said. “The only evidence before this court is that this juror and all jurors followed their oaths, the court’s instructions and orders. This court is bound by the jury’s competent verdict.” Depp’s lawyers had called Heard’s appeal “frivolous” with “no legal basis”. The couple’s case centered on a 2018 article Heard wrote in which she claimed to be a survivor of domestic abuse, but did not name Depp. He sued his ex-wife for defamation and she sued him. After weeks of somber testimony about their relationship, Depp was awarded $10.35m (£8.7m) in damages after a jury agreed he had been defamed. Hurd won on one count and was awarded $2m (£1.68m).
