Amber Heard has called for a mistrial in her continuous legal battle with Johnny Depp. Depp won his libel lawsuit against Heard, which accused his former spouse of defaming him after an op-ed she wrote that said he was an abuser. Depp was awarded $15 million in damages, while Heard was awarded $2 million in her countersuit for compensatory damages.
The long-running legal battle began after Depp sued News Group Newspapers for calling him a "wife-beater" based on the op-ed that Heard published in The Washington Post. Depp lost that trial, then sued Heard for $50 million over libel related to the op-ed. Depp claimed that Heard's op-ed cost him multiple film roles, including Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and the part of Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The trial took place in Virginia starting in April 2022 and concluded in June 2022, with Depp winning the case, seemingly bringing it to a close.
In a new development for the ongoing legal battle between Heard and Depp, the actress has filed (via EW) for a mistrial to be declared and a new trial ordered, citing that one of the jurors in the trial was not the one who was summoned. According to the filing, two people (a 77-year-old and a 52-year-old) with the same last name lived at the same address where the original summons was sent. The older individual was apparently the one summoned, but Heard's team alleges that the younger individual showed up and sat on the jury. As per Virginia state law, safeguards are reportedly in place to prevent these kinds of mix-ups, prompting the call for a mistrial from Heard, who cited her right to "rely on the basic protection ... that the jurors in this trial would be individuals who were actually summoned for jury duty."
Heard released a statement after she lost the trial, saying she was "disappointed" and called the verdict a "setback" for women who speak up against domestic abuse. Depp also issued a statement, saying that he was "humbled" by the verdict and that "a new chapter has begun" for the actor. Heard's legal team already stated that they intend= to appeal the verdict, saying that the actress had strong grounds in doing so, although another factor is that Heard simply cannot afford to pay the damages she now owes Depp.
The Depp/Heard trial has been a contentious one, punctuated by being on live TV, causing a media storm of coverage that has continued to unfurl. The possibility of a mistrial is an interesting twist to the case, but based on the legal reasoning behind it, it's questionable if it would impact the current verdict in the public's eye. Johnny Depp has seemingly been vindicated and is on his way to getting back to work, while Amber Heard's reputation appears to be on the downturn, compounded by her recent interview on Dateline, which didn't appear to help her case. While no ruling has been made on the filing as of yet, it'll be interesting to see how much of an impact it makes on the current outcome of the case.
Source: EW