Weeks after Amber Heard was directed to pay ex-husband Johnny Depp $10 million in compensatory damages by a jury in a Virginia court, the actress has alleged that a wrong juror appeared in the defamation trial.
Citing differences between the ages of the juror listed on the panel and the one who sat through the trial, Amber’s legal team has demanded that a mistrial should be declared while a new one should take place.
“Ms. Heard had a right to rely on the basic protection, as prescribed by the Virginia Code, that the jurors in this trial would be individuals who were actually summoned for jury duty. In this case, it appears that Juror No. 15 was not, in fact, the same individual as listed on the jury panel,” a partially redacted new filing by Amber’s lawyers was quoted as saying by Deadline.
“Thus, the 52-year-old sitting on the jury for six weeks was never summoned for jury duty on April 11 and did not ‘appear in the list,’ as required. Ms. Heard’s due process was therefore compromised. Under these circumstances, a mistrial should be declared, and a new trial ordered,” the filing added.
Recently, Amber’s attorney Elaine Charlson Bredehoft asked the court to overturn its verdict alleging that there’s no evidence to show that Johnny’s reputation was harmed by her client.
For the unversed, Johnny sued the Aquaman actress for defamation after she wrote an op-ed in 2018 saying that she is a victim of domestic violence. Later, Amber counterattacked the Pirates of the Caribbean actor with a $100 million defamation case.
On June 1, the Virginia court found Amber guilty of defaming Johnny.
“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that,” Depp said in a statement post the verdict.
