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Amber Heard officially files her appeal; Depp’s team believes the ‘verdict will stand’

A blond woman looking over her right shoulder
“Aquaman” star Amber Heard has filed her formal notice of appeal to challenge the verdict favoring ex-husband Johnny Depp.
(Evelyn Hockstein / Associated Press)
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Amber Heard has made her appeal official against the defamation trial verdict that favored her ex-husband Johnny Depp.

On Thursday, Heard’s legal representatives filed the “Aquaman” actor’s request to challenge the outcome of the highly publicized six-week defamation trial against Depp in documents obtained by The Times. The official filing comes less than a month after both parties’ legal representatives convened at a Fairfax, Va., courtroom with Judge Penney Azcarate.

“We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the 1st Amendment. We are therefore appealing the verdict. While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice,” a spokesperson for Heard told The Times.

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For the appeal to move forward, Heard will have to pay an $8.35-million bond and 6% yearly interest, according to Deadline. However, Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft previously said that the actor cannot afford the judgment.

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“The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented during the six-week trial and came to a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr. Depp, in multiple instances,” a spokesperson for Depp said. “We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand.”

The contentious trial concluded on June 1 with Depp winning an award of $15 million in damages, which was later reduced to slightly more than $10 million. Heard won $2 million in damages.

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Heard requested a mistrial earlier in July arguing that the outcome was not supported by the evidence and that one of the jurors was incorrectly seated. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor’s legal team dismissed the mistrial request as “frivolous” and last Wednesday, a judge rejected Heard’s request.

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