Johnny Depp's lawyer opens up about lost anonymity during Amber Heard lawsuit

Camille Vasquez discusses 'most jolting' experience of her career at Dubai event

Camille Vasquez speaking at the Global Women's Forum held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai on Wednesday. Pawan Singh / The National

Johnny Depp's lawyer opened up about the “intense scrutiny” and loss of privacy she experienced while representing the US actor in his high-profile lawsuit with Amber Heard, during an event in Dubai.

Camille Vasquez said she was unwittingly dragged into the high-decibel “courtroom of public opinion” where the online buzz around the case involving two formerly married American actors extended far beyond legal arguments to every minute detail of her personal life.

"There was this scrutiny about everything that I wore, who I was dating, not dating … you know, what my parents did, where they lived," Ms Vasquez said during the opening session of the second day of the Global Women’s Forum in Dubai on Wednesday.

Ms Vasquez, born to Cuban migrants in the US, shot to overnight fame as one of the leading lawyers for Depp in his $50 million lawsuit against his former wife Amber Heard, who filed counter claims against him, claiming $100 million in damages.

The live-streamed trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, took place from April to June 2022. It captivated audiences worldwide, who devoured every move and statement as it unfolded.

Speaking about her experience in the spotlight, Ms Vasquez said her legal team was so engrossed in the complexities of the case that its members were initially unaware of the fervent public interest brewing outside the courtroom.

But the unexpected and overwhelming attention she received stripped away her anonymity in a manner she said she never expected, describing it as “one of the most jolting experiences” of her career.

Quoting Depp, who once said, "I live my life behind windows, car windows, plane windows, hotel windows," Ms Vasquez said it always struck her as a “sad statement”.

“But until you lose a bit of your own anonymity, you don’t appreciate privacy,” she added.

Cameras in court

Despite her personal privacy issues, the lawyer said she is still a “big supporter” of cameras in the courtroom as it brings transparency to the evidence presented and allows the public access to proceedings.

“So they're being presented the exact same evidence that's admissible in a court of law and they're also seeing the wheels of justice at work,” she said. “I think that's incredibly important, especially in developing countries and in the United States.”

At the end of the trial, the court awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from Heard. The court also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages from Depp.

It is believed the trial's outcome will have significant implications for future sexual and domestic abuse cases.

When asked about the signature all-white suit Ms Vasquez wore during the trial, she said she wanted to send a message and represent her client’s innocence. “I was his voice in that moment,“ she said. “I was representing the case and his side of innocence, and that colour did signal that to the jury.”

Unlocking women's empowerment

Ms Vasquez was speaking on the second day of the forum. More than 4,000 participants including women leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians, chief executives and first ladies are expected to attend the event, organised by Dubai Women Establishment.

On Monday, Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed, president of the Gender Balance Council and the Dubai Women Establishment, acknowledged the contributions of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, to the cause of promoting women's empowerment in the UAE.

Sheikha Manal welcomed guests including Emine Erdogan, first lady of Turkey, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, a Pakistani politician and daughter of the country's President Asif Ali Zardari, and Iceland's former first lady Eliza Reid. Senior officials and leaders of global organisations are also set to attend.