Johnny Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez says the Pirates of the Caribbean star would’ve moved on from his defamation case if his ex-wife, Amber Heard, didn’t file an appeal to overturn the million-dollar settlement.
Vasquez sat down for an interview with CBS Morning’s host Gayle King on Thursday to discuss the ongoing defamation case amid both parties filing appeals.
‘So is it safe to say that if she hadn’t appealed you all would not have appealed either, you would’ve moved on?’ King asked.
‘Yes – that’s a very fair statement,’ Vasquez responded.
in an interview with CBS Morning, Camille Vasquez said the actor and his legal team would’ve moved on and not filed a counter appeal if Amber Heard didn’t seek to overturn the 10.3 million settlement from the defamation case
A judge will be reviewing appeals filed by Depp and Heard as the defamation case proceeds. Depp filed an appeal to overturn the $2 million he was ordered to pay after he was convicted of a single count of defamation for saying the domestic abuse claims against him were a ‘hoax’
King was skeptical about why Depp decided to file an appeal if he previously called to move on and ‘time for healing.’
‘It was expected,’ Vasquez said. ‘I mean she’s indicated since the day she lost the trial that she was going to appeal.’
Vasquez says the legal team has a plan to ‘protect’ their ‘client’s interests’ as litigation moves forward.
‘We’ve heard that it’s not about the money, it’s time for healing, and time to move on – which is the message that he sent – but how do you heal and move on when both sides are still in court arguing?’ King asked.
Vasquez responded, ‘It’s pretty standard legal procedure. We just hope that the court will uphold the verdict which we think was the right verdict and allow both parties to move on.’
Depp and Heard were subjected to a trial following the actresses claims in a 2018 newspaper opinion piece that her ex-husband abused her
Heard is subjected to pay Depp $10.35 million after she was denied a request for a mistrial. The two were only married for a little more than a year after getting divorced in 2017
In another CBS Morning clip with King and Vasquez, the pair discusses how Depp decided who was on his legal team and the importance for him to have a ‘female perspective.’
‘I find this interesting,’ King said. ‘You know, how Johnny Depp decided to put the team together that represented him. And it’s been reported that he specifically wanted you. Why do you think he wanted you on his team?’
Vasquez responded, ‘I’ve had the pleasure of working for Johnny for four and a half years now. So I’ve worked on all his litigation matters before. This case obviously was the most personal to him. It was important to have a woman on the team.’
‘Why?’ King asked.
‘This case called for a woman’s perspective. And I was the lucky person chosen to do this job, and I took it…’
King interrupted, ‘Do you feel lucky? Is lucky the word?’
Vasquez responded, ‘I think so – yeah. I mean, I think hard work and luck, you can’t underestimate, there was a combination there, right? Of course, it’s a tremendous amount of hours, but it’s also a little bit of luck. And I didn’t, it’s not a job that I took lightly. This was his name. This was his life. It was important.’
Vasquez said in the CBS Morning interview that she was lucky to be on Depp’s legal team and provide a needed ‘female perspective’
Heard, 36, appealed the judge’s decision in her defamation case against Johnny Depp on July 21 – two months after she was subjected to pay $ 10 million to her ex-husband in damages.
Heard was denied a request for a mistrial a week before – arguing that one of the jurors on the case shouldn’t have been eligible to serve because his summons was intended for his father, who had the same name and lived at the same address.
In June, the Aquaman star was ordered to pay her ex-husband $10.35 million at the end of an explosive six-week trial, when a jury ruled she had defamed her ex-husband in a newspaper opinion piece published in 2018.
Depp, 59, received $15 million, including $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
The judge later capped the damages at the state’s maximum of $350,000 leaving Depp with a total of $8.35million.
Meanwhile, Heard won one of her three countersuits claims related to statements made by Depp’s lawyer suggesting she and her friends trashed their apartment before calling the police.
Heard was rewarded $2 million in compensatory damages out of the $100million she asked for.
Amid the news of Heard’s appeals, Depp’s representatives told DailyMail.com last week that they are confident in the verdict.
Depp and Heard filed their appeals with the Virginia Court of Appeals
‘The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented during the trial and came to a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr. Depp in multiple instances. We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand,’ a spokesperson for Depp said.
A day after Heard’s team filed an appeal, Depp’s team filed one following him being ordered to pay $2 million in damages after he was convicted of a single count of defamation for saying the domestic abuse claims against him were false.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor’s team said they filed an appeal to ensure ‘all information is considered by the court’ while they return to consider Heard’s appeal.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk