Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial: actress's new bid to fight defamation verdict

Heard has submitted a third appeal against the ruling, which ordered her to pay her ex-husband $10 million in damages

Amber Heard said last month that she stands by 'every word' of her testimony in her defamation trial, in which she was sued by former husband Johnny Depp. AFP

NBC journalist Savannah Guthrie interviewed Heard in June following the trial's conclusion. She revealed how her husband Michael Feldman consulted with Depp's legal team. Photo: NBC News

Heard says she doesn’t blame the jury for awarding Depp more than $15 million after a contentious six-week libel trial — it was later reduced to $10m. AP

Heard reacts with her lawyer Elaine Bredehoft after the verdict was read at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse, Virginia, US, in June. AP

Depp was in Newcastle, England, with musician Jeff Beck when the verdict was read. AP

Heard leaves after the jury's verdict. EPA

Heard and Depp prior to their wedding. The marriage lasted less than two years. AP

Heard in a scene from 'London Fields'. Photo: GVN Releasing

After losing his lawsuit against British tabloid 'The Sun', Depp said he planned to appeal the UK libel ruling, but then decided to sue his ex-wife in the US. AP

Heard speaking at the 4th Annual Women's March LA: Women Rising in Los Angeles in January 2020. Getty Images / AFP

Heard leaving the High Court in London in July 2020. Reuters

A video of Depp plays on a screen before Paul McCartney's performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival in June. EPA

After speaking out about domestic abuse, Amber Heard feared she would lose her roles in the movies 'Justice League' and 'Aquaman', the latter of which she starred in opposite Jason Momoa. Photo: DC Entertainment

Depp gestures as he arrives at the Parco della Musica venue for the 19th edition of "Alice nella Citta" in Rome, Italy. AFP

Heard wearing an outfit from Monique Lhuillier at the Golden Globes in 2019. Reuters

Heard arrives on the red carpet for a Golden Globes ceremony. AFP

Heard watches the men's semi-final match at Wimbledon in 2018. EPA

Since the trial, Depp has been playing guitar on stage in front of fans. AP

Heard at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, in 2020. Reuters

Heard attends the Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2016. Getty Images

Heard wears a creation for the L'Oreal Spring/Summer 2022 fashion show presented in Paris, France, in 2021. AP

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Helen Mirren and Heard in Paris, France. AP

After Depp filed a lawsuit against her, Heard testified she lost her contract with L'Oreal. AFP

Depp inside the courtroom in April at the beginning of the trial. AP

Heard is styled backstage during Paris Fashion Week in 2021. Getty Images

Depp performs on stage at the Helsinki Blues Festival in June. EPA

British rock guitarist Jeff Beck and Depp perform on stage at the Helsinki Blues Festival. EPA

Depp waves to supporters as he departs the Fairfax County Courthouse after closing arguments. He never returned for the reading of the verdict. AP

Depp received the Gold Medal of Merit on the occasion of Serbia's Statehood Day in Belgrade, Serbia, in February. Reuters

Depp and Heard's former penthouse sits on top of Downtown Los Angeles’s famed Eastern Columbia Building and was recently put up for sale. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

There is a saltwater pool on the rooftop. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

There is an additional lounge area on the staircase landing. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

The apartment measures 1,780 square feet. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

The penthouse apartment has one bedroom. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

The kitchen and lounge area. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

Amber Heard is refusing to back down in her fight to overturn a US jury's ruling she defamed ex-husband Johnny Depp.

On Thursday, her legal team submitted a third notice to the Virginia Court of Appeals as they seek to throw out last month's ruling.

After a six-week televised trial, a jury concluded Heard defamed Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbean star in a op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post about being a victim of domestic abuse, though she did not name him. He was awarded $10.35 million in damages.

The jury also determined Heard was defamed by Depp's legal team after they called her claims a "hoax", awarding her $2m.

Heard's attorneys had argued she had told the truth and her comments were covered as free speech under the US Constitution's First Amendment.

Her team said it sought to ensure fairness and justice through the appeal.

"We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment," a spokesman told Reuters. "We are therefore appealing the verdict."

The notice also appeals a June 24 final judgment order and a July 13 order against Heard's post-trial motions.

Depp's team said it was undeterred by the appeal.

"We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand," a representative for Depp told Reuters.

The filing comes more than a week after a judge rejected Heard's request for a new trial. In seeking the new trial, her lawyers argued one of the jurors had served improperly.

During the trial, Depp said he never hit or sexually abused Heard and argued that she was the one who became violent during their relationship. Heard said she had slapped Depp but only in defense of herself or her sister.

Depp faced a different outcome in the UK less than two years ago, when he sued The Sun tabloid for calling him a "wife beater". A London High Court judge ruled he had repeatedly assaulted Heard.

After the US ruling in June, Heard's attorney Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, in an interview on NBC's Today, accused Depp's team of suppressing evidence that was allowed in the British libel case.