Amber Heard Asks for Mistrial in Johnny Depp Defamation Case After an Alleged Juror Mix-Up

Amber Heard Asks for Mistrial in Johnny Depp Defamation Case After an Alleged Juror Mix-Up
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Amber Heard alleges the wrong juror showed up to Johnny Depp's defamation trial against her and wants it to be declared a mistrial.

In documents filed with the Circuit Court of Fairfax County obtained by PEOPLE on Friday, Heard's lawyers claim she is entitled to a mistrial "based on newly discovered facts and information that Juror No. 15 was not the individual summoned for jury duty on April 11, 2022."

The documents claim the person who was selected for the jury was 77 years old at the time, and shares the same last name and address as someone who was 52. (Fairfax County's selected jurors are registered voters in the area and both individuals' details such as their names, birthdays, and address, are included in voter registration information)

US actor Johnny Depp looks on in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 3, 2022. - US actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." US actress Amber Heard looks on during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 3, 2022. - US actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse."

JIM WATSON/POOL/AFP via Getty (2) Johnny Depp; Amber Heard

RELATED: Dakota Johnson Reacts to Clip of Her and Johnny Depp Going Viral During Trial: 'Why Am I Involved?'

Heard's legal team alleges it was actually the younger person, not the older one who was actually summoned, who served as a juror in the six-week trial.

For more on Amber Heard, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

"It is deeply troubling for an individual not summoned for jury duty nonetheless to appear for jury duty and serve on a jury, especially in a such as this," the filing says, noting the "high-profile" status of the trial "where the fact and date of the jury trial were highly publicized prior to and after the issuance of the juror summonses."

RELATED: Amber Heard 'Is Trying Her Best to Have a Positive Outlook' After Johnny Depp Trial: Source

The actress' lawyers say she was not given the proper "due process," so she's asking for a mistrial 'and a new trial ordered."

A representative for Depp had no comment when reached by PEOPLE.

The request comes one week after Heard's counsel asked for the verdict to be thrown out altogether.

In a 43-page filing sent to a Virginia court on July 2, the Aquaman actress' team argued that the verdict was not supported by sufficient evidence.

RELATED VIDEO: Juror in Johnny Depp Defamation Trial Says Jury Didn't Believe Amber Heard's 'Crocodile Tears'

In one claim, Heard's lawyers argue that it was incorrect for Depp, 59, to claim that he lost his role in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series because of a Washington Post op-ed, where Heard, 36, wrote that she was abused but did not name the abuser.

Heard's team argued that Depp "proceeded solely on a defamation by implication theory, abandoning any claims that Ms. Heard's statements were actually false."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Last month, the actor won all three defamation claims in his case against Heard and was awarded $15 million in damages by a jury. Heard will only have to pay $10.35 million due to Virginia law capping punitive damages (the judge reduced the amount). Heard, 36, was awarded $2 million in her counterclaims against him.

Depp sued Heard for $50 million in damages, claiming she defamed him by writing a 2018 op-ed about coming forward with domestic abuse accusations, though she did not mention him by name. Meanwhile, Heard filed a countersuit seeking $100 million in damages, claiming Depp spearheaded a campaign to discredit her and her allegations as "fake" and a "hoax," harming her career and reputation.