Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s legal battle lasted years, but things really heated up when the trial occurred in Virginia. While a verdict was given on the defamation case, there’s continued to be more fallout. And following Depp and Heard’s defamation trial, one organization says the Pirates of the Caribbean star owes a whole lot of moolah in legal fees.
The stakes were high in the defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, with the Aquaman star ultimately tasked with paying her ex-husband a whopping $10 million. But Depp’s legal troubles are not over yet, as he’s also got another assault case going to court. And Fox News is reporting that the Edward Scissorhands actor is also being sued by the ACLU for over $86,000. The reasoning: legal fees from the subpoenas issued over the defamation case.
The American Civil Liberties Union was subpoenaed related to the defamation case in Virginia, and ended up being involved a number of times through the proceedings in court. This is partly because the organization had reportedly ghostwritten some of Amber Heard’s infamous op-ed about domestic violence. Additionally, there was much talk about how much Heard did or did not donate to the organization as she had promised. A New York judge asked the organization to produce both documents and witnesses, who no doubt have their own legal team involved. And now that the case is closed, the ACLU claims that $86K was how much it took to comply with the subpoenas.
Now the question is: what is the response from Johnny Depp’s team? According to the same report, they referred to the $86,000 as “exorbitant and unreasonable.” Instead they agreed to pay “$1,096.67 for third-party data hosting fees.” Given this discrepancy in sums, we’ll just have to wait and see if this case also goes to trial. Clearly Depp is going to keep his legal team working for the foreseeable future.
As previously mentioned, this ACLU case isn’t the only reason Johnny Depp might have for returning to court. While the Amber Heard matter reached its verdict, there’s also an assault charge coming Depp’s way. Gregg “Rocky” Brooks, the location manager for Depp’s movie City of Lies, is alleging the actor punched him twice in the rib cage. He also claims that Depp proceeded to taunt him, and offer Brooks money to punch him back. The actor’s now-famous lawyer Camille Vasquez is expected to represent him in court for that upcoming case.
There’s also the possibility that Amber Heard might try to appeal the verdict in the defamation case, which would further extend Johnny Depp’s collaboration with Camille Vasquez and company. But there may be incentive for Heard to not fight the ruling, namely because it might get her out of paying the whopping $10 million dollars. Her lawyers have gone so far as to confirm that she can’t possibly pay that sum.
Professionally, Johnny Depp has started booking new movie roles. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.