Just when we thought that the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard case would be over once the jury gave a verdict, Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft has declared that Heard is looking to appeal the jury’s decision, which found her liable for defamation on all counts Depp sued her.
The jury granted Depp, 10 million dollars on compensatory damages and 5 million in punitive damages; however, the state of Virginia has 350,000 thousand dollars top for punitive damages not to mention that the jury granted 2 million dollars to Heard on one account. So, in total, she would have to pay Depp 8.35 million dollars.
Now, according to Bredehoft, who has been giving several TV interviews, Heard doesn’t have the money to pay, and she wants to appeal. However, according to Virginia law, to appeal, she would first need to pay or place a bond; that is, the ‘winning’ party has to receive the money first. This law was made so that people wouldn’t try to appeal just to avoid paying the damages assigned.
In the Virginia’s Legislative Information System website it’s listed as one of the requirements for appeal the following:
“No appeal shall be allowed unless and until the party applying for the same or someone for him shall give bond, in an amount and with sufficient surety approved by the judge or by his clerk if there is one, or in an amount sufficient to satisfy the judgment of the court in which it was rendered.”
Not only that, appealing is not an easy procedure since it has to be grounded on one of the following causes: instructions were not given to the jury correctly, evidence was not submitted properly, there is evidence of juror misconduct, or your original lawyer was incompetent or ineffective. According to Bredehoft, “she has some excellent grounds for it.”
It seems, according to her declarations in interviews, that her legal team will try to appeal on the grounds that there was juror misconduct and the instructions weren’t given properly. She claimed that “a number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused.”
Amber Heard has 10 days to file an appeal and pay the accorded sum. It seems it’s easy for her to reach a settlement outside the court for payment, but definitely, an appeal would help her change the narrative that the trial gave her.
