Amber Heard files motion to appeal verdict in Johnny Depp defamation trial

Amber Heard officially filed a motion to appeal the verdict in Johnny Depp's highly publicized defamation trial against her.

Heard's legal team cited that the "court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment" as the reason for the filing.

"We are therefore appealing the verdict," her team wrote in a statement issued to EW on Thursday. "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 jury in Fairfax County, Va., ruled in June that Heard intentionally and maliciously defamed Depp when she wrote her 2018 Washington Post op-ed, which detailed her experiences as a domestic violence survivor. Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages (the judge later reduced the punitive damages to Virginia's statutory cap of $350,000). Heard earned a small countersuit victory of $2 million in compensatory damages.

"I'm heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband," Heard said following the verdict, adding, "I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women."

Depp said he was "truly humbled" in his own statement: "Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that."

The appeal filing comes after a judge denied Heard's motion for a mistrial earlier this month. Heard's legal team cited juror fraud, alleging that a member of the jury on the trial was not actually called to serve for duty. The two jurors, who reside in the same house, have the same name, the legal team said in court documents.

Presiding Judge Penney Azcarate dismissed the motion, which Depp's team called "desperate" and "frivolous."

When reached for comment on the appeal Thursday, a spokesperson for Depp told EW, "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. We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand."

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