A spokesperson for the actress Amber Heard has announced that she has hired new lawyers as she prepares to file an appeal of the decision in the Johnny Depp defamation trial.
Heard will be represented by a separate group of attorneys in her appeal of the judgment, which awarded her ex-husband more than $10 million in damages, according to People.”When it comes to protecting the fundamental right of Freedom of Speech, we look at the jury’s decision—to paraphrase a famous quote—not ‘as the beginning of the end, but merely the end of the beginning,'” reads the spokesperson’s statement. “A different court warrants different representation, particularly as so much new evidence is now coming to light.”
Heard has engaged Ballard Spahr attorneys David L. Axelrod and Jay Ward Brown to defend her. Ben Rottenborn, who previously represented the 36-year-old co-counsel, will act as their co-counsel. Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, the attorney who defended her in the Virginia trial earlier this year, is giving up her position. “This is the perfect time to pass the baton,” said Bredehoft. “I have pledged to Amber and her appellate team my complete cooperation and assistance as they move forward on a path towards success.”
Her new legal team most recently defended publication The New York Times in a defamation suit filed by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin earlier this year. “We welcome the opportunity to represent Ms. Heard in this appeal as it is a case with important First Amendment implications for every American,” the two layers said in a joint statement. “We’re confident the appellate court will apply the law properly without deference to popularity, reverse the judgment against Ms. Heard, and reaffirm the fundamental principles of Freedom of Speech.”
Last month, Heard and her legal team filed papers to appeal the jury’s decision. Depp sued Heard for $50 million after she claimed in a Washington Post piece that she had experienced domestic abuse. Heard had accused Depp of being violent toward her. Although she did not specifically mention him by name in the piece, the jury found that she had slandered him by making false claims “made with actual malice.”