Jury Error May Cause A Mistrial In Johnny Depp, Amber Heard Case

in Entertainment, Movies & TV

The June 1 verdict in the trial between Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) star Johnny Depp and Aquaman (2018) star Amber Heard might soon be reversed.

amber heard and johnny depp
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Heard’s attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, claims in a new filing obtained by Deadline in the Fairfax County Virginia Circuit Court that the star’s due process rights were violated.

Related: #IBelieveAmberHeard Trends On Twitter After Johnny Depp Trial

According to Bredehoft, one of the jurors who ruled against Heard was never summoned for jury duty. Juror No. 15 is a 52-year-old, but the Juror called to serve is a 77-year-old, meaning the person who served on the jury was never meant to be there.

johnny depp (left) and amber heard (right) walking through airport with fans behind them
Credit: ABC News

Allegedly, two individuals with the same last name lived at the same address. Instead of the 77-year-old who was summoned, the 52-year-old with the same last name showed up and was selected to serve.

“Juror No. 15 was not, in fact, the same individual as listed on the jury panel,” Bredehoft wrote in the filing. “Ms. Heard’s due process was therefore compromised. Under these circumstances, a mistrial should be declared, and a new trial ordered.”

johnny depp (right) and amber heard (left) on red carpet
Credit: ABC

According to Yahoo!, it’s unclear whether the court clerks failed to check IDs or if the juror used a fake ID. The filing alleges that someone representing the 77-year-old completed an online form confirming their 1945 birth date, meaning that the 52-year-old knowingly impersonated the older summoned juror.

Related: Johnny Depp Shocks Fans With Surprise Appearance With Jeff Beck 4,000 Miles From Courthouse

Depp’s team, including attorney Camille Vasquez, later responded to the filing in a memo also obtained by DeadlineMr. Depp’s attorneys don’t dispute the error with Juror 15 but claim the verdict against Ms. Heard should stand.

amber heard (left) and johnny depp (right) on red carpet
Credit: ABC

“Virginia law is clear that a verdict is not to be set aside unless it is ‘plainly wrong or without evidence to support it.’ Here, the verdict was well supported by the overwhelming evidence, consistent with the law, and should not be set aside,” the memo reads.

Additionally, the memo claims that Ms. Heard’s team had plenty of time to bring this up ahead of and during the six-week trial:

“Mr. Depp respectfully submits that the Court should deny Ms. Heard’s Post-Trial Motions, which verge into the frivolous.”

amber heard (left) and johnny depp (right) in formalwear on bighorn red carpet
Credit: ABC

In June, the Court found Heard defamed Depp by publicly accusing him of domestic abuse. The jury found that Depp proved Heard lied about her allegations and ordered her to pay the Edward Scissorhands (1990) star $15 million.

Related: Elon Musk Reportedly May Help Amber Heard Appeal Verdict vs. Johnny Depp

In Heard’s countersuit against Depp, the jury found that Depp’s former attorney, Adam Waldman, publicly defamed her. Depp now owes Heard $2 million in return.

amber heard and johnny depp
Credit: Milani Cosmetics

Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) star Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife, Amber Heard of Los Angeles, for $50 million for defamation after she wrote an Op-Ed for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a victim of domestic abuse.

Heard countersued for $100 million, arguing that he “defamed her when his former lawyer released statements saying her allegations of abuse were a hoax.” 

Do you think this is grounds for a mistrial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard? Let us know in the comments. 

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