Lawyers representing Heard, 36, filed a motion earlier this month on the grounds that the verdict that she had defamed Depp, 59, was not supported by evidence. They also claimed that one juror had not been properly screened and questioned whether that juror was supposed to be able to sit on the jury. Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com show Judge Penny Azcarate rejected all of Heard’s requests after Wednesday’s trial. A judge has denied Amber Heard’s motion to throw out the verdict in her defamation lawsuit against ex-husband Johnny Depp and retry the case Depp’s lead attorney, Ben Chu, responded to the motion in a statement to Courthouse News, saying “What we expected, just more, not more substantial.” In a 43-page brief, Heard’s attorneys argued that the verdict — and the $10 million in damages she now owes Depp — should be thrown out on the grounds that during the trial, Depp “proceeded solely on the theory of defamation , abandoning any claim that Ms. Heard’s statements were in fact false.” Depp’s lead attorney, Ben Chu, responded to the move in a statement to Courthouse News, saying “What we expected, just more, not more substantial.” Heard said she is unable to pay the $10.35 million in damages she owes Depp. Although he has previously said he wants to appeal the verdict, in order to do so he will have to post bail for full compensation. It is possible that this latest move was an attempt to circumvent these requirements and a new verdict is still being sought. The move cast doubt on the validity of the jury selection process, pointing to one juror — identified as Juror 15 — whose birth year is listed as 1945 in court records. The filing argued that Juror 15 “was clearly born later than 1945. Publicly available information indicates that he appears to have been born in 1970.” “This discrepancy raises the question of whether Superintendent 15 actually received a summons for jury duty and was properly vetted by the court to serve on the jury.” “It appears that his identity could not be verified,” the filing states. Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com show Judge Penny Azcarate denied Heard’s motion to have the verdict thrown out Heard also argued that the damages awarded to Depp were excessive, as the jury awarded them for factors unrelated to his lawsuit. While Depp was “represented in court, it would limit his damages to the period from December 18, 2018 to November 2, 2020” — the time period between the publication of Heard’s report on Depp’s alleged abuse in the Washington Post and The a British court ruled that he had abused Heard – the move argues that Depp made no attempt to focus the scope of his alleged damages within that two-year time frame. ‘Mr. Depp made no such effort at any point in the trial to limit his requested damages. Instead, even throughout Closings, Mr. Depp continued to urge the jury to restore his reputation and legacy to his children, as Ms. Heard accused Mr. Depp in May 2016 of domestic violence ». Judge Penney Azcarate made it clear she did not want the case to continue as it is, rejecting requests from Heard’s team for more hearings at the most recent hearing in the case on June 24, when the judge finalized the verdict in his minutes court. Judge Azcarate told Heard’s team that day that if they wanted an appeal, they could apply to the court. Both celebrities were found to have defamed each other in the June verdict, but the cards fell heavily in Depp’s favor. The filing argued that Juror 15 “was clearly born later than 1945. Publicly available information indicates that he appears to have been born in 1970.” Both celebrities were found to have defamed each other in June’s verdict, but the odds fell heavily in Depp’s favor Amber Heard after the verdict was read on June 1, 2022. Depp was awarded $10.35 million in damages by Heard, while she was awarded just $2 million in damages by Depp. In total, Heard was left owing Depp $8.35 million. He was awarded $10.35 million in damages from Heard, while she was awarded just $2 million from Depp. In total, Heard was left owing Depp $8.35 million.
Heard later admitted through her lawyer that she could not afford those millions in damages, and a day after the verdict her representative said she would appeal. However, her tune on the matter has since been muddled, with reports swirling that she plans to write a book to earn money to pay for the damages.
A source close to Heard claimed she was “broken” and “in no position to turn down money”. They said she “considers her Hollywood career over” and has “nothing to lose” after a disastrous few months. Heard later admitted through her lawyer that she could not afford those millions in damages, and a day after the verdict her representative said she would appeal the verdict During an interview with Good Morning America in June, Chu suggested that the star might be willing to forego the millions of dollars in damages he was owed if Heard agreed not to appeal. However, Heard’s attorneys lost that opportunity during a June 24 hearing when they refused to take such a deal and Azcarate finalized the verdict, leaving Heard’s only path forward to appeal. To do that, however, Hurd will have to come up with the cash to post a bond for the full $10.35 million pending an appeal — a common practice.