Johnny Depp Trial Win Stands For Now; Judge Rejects Amber Heard’s Requests For New Trial & Wrong Juror Probe

Johnny Depp’s win last month in his big bucks defamation trial against Amber Heard is staying in place, a Virginia judge ruled today.

“Defendant does not allege Juror Fifteen’s inclusion on the jury prejudiced her in any way,” wrote Judge Penny Azcarte unequivocally Wednesday, rejecting the Aquaman star’s move to get the more than $10 million verdict for her ex-husband tossed and a new trial ordered” (read it here).

“The juror was vetted, sat for the entire jury, deliberated, and reached a verdict,” the Fairfax County judge who oversaw the bitter six-week trial between the former Rum Diary co-stars. “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 competent decision of the jury.”

In late June and last week, Heard’s Elaine Bredehoft-led attorneys filed paperwork with the court calling the damages awarded to Depp excessive, and casting the whole trial into doubt. “It appears that Juror No. 15 was not, in fact, the same individual as listed on the jury panel,” they said on June 8, seeking an new trial and an investigation as to who a 52-year old man took the place of the 77-year old man who was actually summoned for jury duty.

Countering on July 11, Depp’s Brown Rudnick crew called Heard’s stance “baseless” and “frivolous.” The post Oscar nominee’s lawyers also said, very much like Judge Azcarte has, that Heard’s side had ample time to address the wrong juror issued before and during the media frenzied defamation trial.

“Due Process was guaranteed and provided to all parties in this litigation,” Judge Azcarte said today of the juror matter in her brief order. “Voir dire was conducted in a fair and impartial manner, with the Court and both parties examining the potential jurors. There is no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing.”

This totally shuts down Heard and her defense/countersuit team’s risky objection. However, in her final order, Judge Azcarte has helped set the stage for the inevitable formal appeal that the actress’ lawyers always promised was coming. Complicating an immediate move to appeal is the fact that at a June 24 final judgement hearing, a seemingly annoyed Judge Azcarte insisted  that Heard has to put up a $8.35 million bond to start the process. A sum that Heard’s lawyers have said their client does not have at hand.

Neither representatives for the former Pirates of the Caribbean star nor Heard responded to request for comment on today’s order.

After a 2016 divorce that was peppered with a temporary restraining order and allegations of abuse,  Depp sued Heard for $50 million in early 2019 over a late 2018 Washington Post op-end about domestic abuse with her byline on it. Though the piece never actually mentioned Depp by name, the litigious actor claimed it “devastated” his already waning career. In court filings and on the stand, Depp went on to claim that he was in fact the one who was abused in the relationship.

 In late 2020, Depp lost a UK libel suit against Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun tabloid for calling him a “wife beater.” That trial was barely brought up the Virginia trial. Having launched a $100 million countersuit in the summer of 2020 after failing repeatedly to get the Virginia defamation case dismissed, Heard herself was awarded $2 million in damages on June 1 by the seven-person jury for one of her own trio of defamation claims.

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