Amber Heard appeal - latest: Johnny Depp’s lawyers to meet actor’s team in court in last bid to settle case

Lawyers for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard will meet in court on Friday for a possible settlement if the actors decide not to drag their legal battle further.

On 1 June, a Virginia jury ruled Ms Heard defamed former husband Mr Depp in a widely watched six-week trial.

It also ruled in favour of Ms Heard in some aspects of her countersuit against Mr Depp. The jury awarded Mr Depp $15m in damages after finding that he proved all three claims against Ms Heard. The amount was reduced to $10m because of limits set by state law.

Judge Penney Azcarate, who was overseeing the trial, has yet to enter the verdict into the docket, which she is expected to do on Friday unless the pair of actors are able to reach a settlement.

After 21 days, the case will then move to the Court of Appeals of Virginia and both parties will have 30 days to file a notice of appeal.

The actors aren’t required to be present in the courtroom for Friday’s hearing.

Key points

• Johnny Depp and Amber Heard lawyers to meet in court in last bid to settle case

• Depp’s lawyers said they’d drop damages against Heard if she stops appeal

Depp’s lawyers said they’d drop damages against Heard if she stops appeal

12:02 , Johanna Chisholm

Earlier this month, while being interviewed on Good Morning America just days after Johnny Depp emerged victorious in his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard, lawyers for the Pirates of the Caribbean actor indicated their team had floated a deal to her that would spare her from paying millions she owes her ex-husband.

ABC host George Stephanopoulos asked lawyers Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez during their first of two interviews with the network if Mr Depp would forego the damages if Ms Heard dropped her appeal, to which Mr Chew said the case was “never about money” for his client.

“You have said that the goal was not to impoverish Ms Heard – is it possible that we could see a settlement where she foregoes the appeal in return for Mr Depp waving any monetary damages?” the host asked the lawyers.

Mr Chew said he couldn’t speak about his private conversations with Mr Depp but noted that the actor testified, and that the lawyers said in their closing statement.

Read the full report from The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander below:

Johnny Depp may drop $8m damages claim against Amber Heard

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard lawyers to meet in court in last bid to settle case

11:55 , Johanna Chisholm

Johnny Depp emerged victorious in his defamation case against his ex-wife and fellow actor Amber Heard following three days of deliberations by the jury, who also handed Heard a partial win in her countersuit.

In total, the jury awarded Depp $10m in compensatory damages and $5m in punitive damages, while Heard was awarded $2m in compensatory damages.

Lawyers for the actors are schedueld to meet in court on Friday for a possible settlement if the actors decide not to drag their legal battle further, though neither Depp or Heard is required to be at the Virginia court in-person for the hearing.

Judge Penney Azcarate, who was overseeing the trial, has yet to enter the verdict into the docket, and has until Friday to so unless both parties reach a settlement in the case that spurred a media frenzy in the weeks that it was televised.

The judge might accept oral arguments from each side over the jury verdict and if they don’t agree to a settlement, Judge Azcarate will enter the verdict, Insider reported.

After 21 days, the case will then move to the Court of Appeals of Virginia and both parties will have 30 days to file a notice of appeal.

Continue reading the full story from Alisha Rahaman Sarkar below:

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard lawyers to meet in court in last bid to settle case

What attorneys say about Amber Heard’s options to appeal Johnny Depp verdict

12:13 , Johanna Chisholm

After Johnny Depp prevailed in his defamation lawsuit again Amber Heard, her attorney told the press that her client “absolutely” intends to appeal.

In a sitdown interview with NBC News, Elaine Bredehoft concluded that her client has “some excellent grounds” for appealing, noting that she will “absolutely not” be able to pay the lump sum that the court has ruled her to.

Following this revelation, The Independent tapped the expertise of three attorneys about what possible grounds Ms Heard has for an appeal, or even a new trial. They included Lisa Bloom of The Bloom Firm, whose clients have included Janice Dickinson, Mischa Barton, and several victims of Jeffrey Epstein; Jesse Weber, a host and attorney at the Law & Crime network; and Mitra Ahouraian, an entertainment attorney in Beverly Hills who represents clients from the entertainment industry.

One point that the attorneys raised that Ms Heard could pursue as legal recourse was the point that jurors in the Fairfax, Virginia trial weren’t sequestered during the seven weeks the hearings dragged on for.

They were instructed not to read up on the case nor do any outside research, but the length of the proceedings, coupled with the fact that it aired on television and was overwhelmingly discussed online, has raised questions over whether jurors could feasibly have remained isolated from any content related to the trial.

“[Ms Heard’s team] could even try to show that since the jury was not sequestered that they were exposed to all the Depp fans and media scrutiny and that tainted the verdict,” Mr Weber said, adding that this seems “like it will be a major issue for [Ms Heard]’s team on appeal”.

Continue reading what other possible avenues Ms Heard’s legal team could pursue, as reported by The Independent’s Clémence Michallon.

What attorneys say about Amber Heard’s options to appeal Johnny Depp verdict