Amber Heard intends to appeal the ruling in her defamation case against ex-husband Johnny Depp, according to Alafair Hall, a spokeswoman for the actress, cited by The New York Times.
Currently, it is not clear on what grounds she plans to appeal, but in order to be granted the plea, Heard’s legal team will need to prove there were serious errors in the trial, or in the presiding judge's reading of the law, the outlet added.
Later, lawyer Elaine Charlson Bredhoft, who represented Heard at the trial, appeared on the Today Show and claimed that the actress had "excellent grounds" to appeal the verdict and planned to do so.
Bredhoft then asserted that Heard was "absolutely not" able to pay the damages she owes Depp.
"It's a horrible message. It's a setback, a significant setback because that's exactly what it means. Unless you pull out your phone and you video your spouse or your significant other beating you, effectively, you won't be believed", the laywer said, insisting that the jury in the case had been influenced by public opinion, including on social media.
"There's no way they couldn't have been influenced. It was horrible. It was really, really lop sided,' Bredhoft claimed. "It's like the Roman coliseum, how they viewed this whole case". The lawyer went on to assert that Johnny Depp's legal team had tried to "demonize Amber and suppress the evidence".
Amber Heard would have to post bond of the full $10.35 million she now owes her ex-husband, plus interest charges over the course of an appeal trial.
She previously received a $7 million settlement from Depp after their 2016 divorce. While vowing she would donate the money to charities, including the American Civil Liberties Union, during the trial Heard revealed she hadn't yet fulfilled the pledge, allegedly because of Depp's lawsuit.
Depp-Heard Lawsuit
Johnny Depp was awarded over $10 million in punitive and compensatory damages on 1 June after the seven-person jury in Fairfax, Va., unanimously ruled in the Hollywood actor’s favour in his defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
While Depp was awarded $15 million ($10 million in compensation and $5 million in punitive damages), Judge Penney Azcarate subsequently said Virginia law caps punitive damages at $350,000. Accordingly, Johnny Depp's award totaled $10.35 million.
As for Heard's countersuit, the jury awarded $2 million in compensatory damages to her after finding one of her points valid. They agreed that she had been defamed in one instance by a lawyer for Depp.
"The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I'm heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband", read a statement by Amber Heard.
Johnny Depp, 58, sued Amber Heard, 36, for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post (printed in Fairfax County) where she alleged she was a victim of domestic abuse. The actress did not specifically identify Depp by name in the piece, but the actor argued that it clearly referred to their marriage, which began in 2015. He claimed the abuse allegations had resulted in a massive loss of career earnings for him.
Furthermore, the Pirates of the Caribbean star accused Heard of committing acts of domestic violence against him and in some instances even causing him bodily injury.
The actress countersued her ex-husband for $100 million, insisting that Depp and his former attorney Adam Waldman conspired to "destroy and defame" her, dismissing her allegations of sexual abuse as a "hoax".
Throughout the trial, Heard maintained that the actor had subjected her to repeated physical abuse that included punching, head-butting, and several instances of sexual assault.
However, the jury at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse found that Amber's statements in the 2018 op-ed were false and made with "actual malice" against her ex-husband.
The court’s decision would appear to come as retribution for Johnny Depp, who lost a libel suit against The Sun two years ago, filed after the British tabloid called him a “wife beater” in a headline. At the time, a judge ruled there was evidence that Depp had repeatedly assaulted Heard and the defendants had shown that what they published was “substantially true”.