Amber Heard forced Johnny Depp’s hand, according to his attorney.
As we reported, the Aquaman actress filed to appeal the verdict in her ex-husband’s defamation trial against her, in which he was awarded more than $10 million in damages. In response, the Pirates of the Caribbean star filed an appeal the very next day, seeking to overturn the $2 million verdict in Heard’s countersuit.
On Thursday’s episode of CBS Mornings, Camille Vasquez — undoubtedly the breakout star of Depp v. Heard — sat down with Gayle King and explained why her client filed an appeal of his own, confessing that it was simply a necessary step in the seemingly unending legal tango between the combative exes.
During the chat, Vasquez revealed Heard’s appeal “was expected” from Depp’s legal team, as the actress has “indicated, since the day she lost the trial, that she was going to appeal.”
Related: Kate Moss Explains Why She Decided To Testify In Ex Johnny’s Defamation Trial
When asked by King whether she and her legal team had a plan on how to respond if Heard filed an appeal, Vasquez said:
“Absolutely. Mr. Depp ended up filing his own appeal, so that the court could have the full record. And [Heard] insists on continuing to litigate this matter, and we have to protect our client’s interest.”
Makes sense!
Gayle then asked Cami how the former couple could possibly “heal and move on when both sides are still in court arguing?” Vasquez replied:
“It’s pretty standard legal procedure. We just are hopeful that the court will uphold the verdict, which we think was the right verdict, and allow both parties to move on.”
The lawyer also revealed that Johnny likely would have never appealed if his ex-wife didn’t make the first move, before adding:
“This was never about the money for Mr. Depp. But in order to protect his interests, as his representative, we have to respond to the appeal with his own appeal.”
For those still scratching their heads, here’s how Johnny and Amber are both able to file appeals: although the Fairfax County, Virginia, jury found that the actress defamed the Oscar nominee in her 2018 op-ed, they sided with Heard on one of her three counterclaims, agreeing Depp defamed her through 2020 comments made by his attorney Adam Waldman.
In a statement about moving forward with the appeal, a rep for Heard said they “believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment,” adding:
“We are therefore appealing the verdict. While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.”
How do U think this will all end, Perezcious readers? Watch Camille’s interview (below) and share your thoughts in the comments.
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
