Depp’s attorneys argued in a memo filed Monday that a judge cannot arbitrarily substitute his judgment for that of a jury,
“While Ms. Heard throws an exceptional amount of mud on the wall in the hope that something might stick, the jury’s verdict on damages was perfectly reasonable and supported by the evidence and testimony in this case,” says Depp’s legal team in the memo.
Heard’s attorneys also claimed in a court filing last week that information on the jury roll sent to attorneys ahead of trial does not appear to match the demographics of any of the jurors, jeopardizing Heard’s rights to a trial. regular.
Heard waived his right to challenge the accuracy of the jury information because his team did not raise the issue in court at the time, Depp’s attorneys claim.
“Mr. Depp respectfully asks the Court to dismiss Ms. Heard’s frivolous motion in its entirety and to dismiss her outlandish requests to set aside the jury’s verdict, dismiss the complaint or, in the alternative, order a new trial. and investigate juror 15,” the memo read.
Depp sued Heard for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic violence.” Although Depp was not named in the article, he claimed it cost him lucrative acting roles.
Heard countersued Depp, to whom she was married from 2015 to 2016 before divorcing, for defamation over statements made by Depp’s attorney about her abuse allegations.
After several weeks of testimony, the jury found that Heard had defamed Depp in three separate statements in the Washington Post article, and that Depp had defamed Heard with a statement made by his lawyer.