Legal Experts Say The Depp v Heard Case Could Go On Much Longer After A Verdict Is Reached
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If you are sick and tired of hearing about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's legal woes then we have some bad news for you. Legal experts now claim that the case could be drawn out for much longer if appeals are launched.
The jury is currently deliberating after the highly-publicised six week trial.
But regardless of the outcome, legal analyst Dina Doll said that 'if either one of them loses and is asked to pay damages they will certainly appeal their case'.
"When you appeal your case you're asking the Court of Appeals to say there was a mistake in the law," she told The Law & Crime Network.
"You're not really looking at the facts again, the jury has already decided the facts.
"But maybe the judge made a ruling on what evidence should come in or what should come out."
Lunch Show Q&A: A legal analyst and a criminal defense attorney answered a viewer's question about #JohnnyDepp appealing the verdict if #AmberHeard wins or vice versa. pic.twitter.com/me9reAro75
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) May 31, 2022
She added: "Or the jury instructions were worded in a way that there is some case law to rebut it."
She told Law & Crime that if this is the case, Depp or Heard's legal teams will likely ask the appellate court to review those legal issues which will see the case return to court once again.
Former US prosecutor Marie Pereira echoed Doll's comments.
"I think if either side loses there will be an appeal," she told Law & Crime.
Depp's team has already filed a motion to strike comments made by Heard's legal team during their closing statements.
The Aquaman star's legal team told the jury 'that their decision in this case would send a message to every victim of domestic abuse everywhere'.
Depp's lawyers have now filed a motion hitting out at that claim, arguing that Heard's team 'improperly [invited the] jury to focus on [the] larger social issue' of domestic violence.
JURY QUESTION - Basically the jury is asking do they consider just the op-ed headline: " I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change." OR what's in the body of the op-ed. SEE Page 1 of verdict form in attached pic. pic.twitter.com/dO5XDZR7QR
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) May 31, 2022
However, Judge Penney Azcarate has refused to accept the motion and the case is now in the hands of the jury.
Additionally, the jury has already returned to the judge with questions on the 21 points needed to satisfy Depp's defamation claim.
The jury asked the judge if they consider just the op-ed headline from The Washington Post or what's in the body of the article.
These sorts of motions could act as fodder for an appeal motion, depending on the outcome of the trial.
The jury is still deliberating on the verdict. There is no time limit for the jury to make their decision.
Featured Image Credit: REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo.
Topics: Johnny Depp, Crime, News, US News