Johnny Depp‘s attorney Camille Vasquez says the Pirates of the Caribbean star would have continued his defamation lawsuit as his ex-wife, Amber heardhas not filed an appeal to overturn the million dollar settlement.
Vasquez sat down on Thursday for an interview with Gayle King, the host of CBS Morning, to discuss the ongoing defamation lawsuit, as both sides filed an appeal.
“So it’s safe to say that if she hadn’t appealed, none of you would have appealed either, and you would have moved on?” asked king.
“Yes — that’s a very fair statement,” Vasquez replied.
in an interview with CBS Morning, Camille Vasquez said the actor and his legal team would have moved on and would not have filed a counter appeal if Amber Heard hadn’t tried to reverse the 10.3 million settlement of the defamation lawsuit.
A judge will review Depp and Heard’s appeals as the defamation lawsuit progresses. Depp filed an appeal to nullify the $2 million he had to pay after being convicted of a single defamation charge because he said the domestic violence allegations against him were a ‘hoax’
King was skeptical as to why Depp decided to appeal if he had called earlier to move on and “time for a cure.”
“It was to be expected,” Vasquez said. “I mean, she’s said she’d appeal since the day she lost the trial.”
Vasquez says the legal team has a plan to “protect” the interests of their “client” as the trial progresses.
“We’ve heard it’s not about the money, it’s time to heal and time to move on – that’s the message he sent – but how do you heal and move on when both sides are still in court.” arguing?’ asked king.
Vasquez replied, “It’s a pretty standard legal process. We just hope that the court upholds the verdict, which we believe was the right one, and allows both parties to move forward.”
Depp and Heard were subjected to trial after the actresses alleged in a 2018 newspaper op-ed that her ex-husband had abused her.
Heard must pay Depp $10.35 million after her lawsuit is denied. The two had only been married for a little over a year after divorcing in 2017
In another CBS Morning clip with King and Vasquez, the pair discuss how Depp decided who was on his legal team and how important it was to him to have a “female perspective.”
“I find this interesting,” King said. “You know how Johnny Depp decided to put together the team that represented him. And it has been reported that he specifically wanted you. Why do you think he wanted you on his team?’
Vasquez replied, “I’ve had the pleasure of working for Johnny for four and a half years now. So I’ve worked on all of his lawsuits before. This case was clearly the most personal to him. It was important to have a woman on the team.”
‘Why?’ asked king.
“This case called for a women’s perspective. And I was the lucky one chosen to do this job, and I took it…’
King interrupted: ‘Do you feel happy? Is happiness the word?’
Vasquez replied, ‘I think so – yes. I mean, I think hard work and luck shouldn’t be underestimated, there was a combination, right? Of course it’s a lot of hours, but it’s also a bit of luck. And I didn’t, it’s not a job I took lightly. This was his name. This was his life. It was important.’
Vasquez said in the CBS Morning interview that she was lucky enough to be on Depp’s legal team and provide a necessary “female perspective.”
Heard, 36, appealed the judge’s decision on July 21 in her defamation case against Johnny Depp – two months after she was ordered to pay $10 million in damages to her ex-husband.
Heard was denied a mistrial petition a week earlier — arguing that one of the jurors in the case should not have been eligible to serve because his subpoena was intended for his father, who had the same name and on lived at the same address.
In June, the Aquaman star was ordered to pay her ex-husband $10.35 million at the end of an explosive six-week trial when a jury found she had defamed her ex-husband in a 2018 newspaper op-ed. was published.
Depp, 59, was awarded $15 million, including $10 million in damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
The judge later limited the damages to the state’s maximum of $350,000, giving Depp a total of $8.35 million.
Meanwhile, Heard won one of her three counterclaims involving statements from Depp’s attorney suggesting that she and her friends vandalized their apartment before calling the police.
Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages of the $100 million she asked for.
Amid news of Heard’s appeals, Depp’s representatives told DailyMail.com last week that they are confident in the verdict.
Depp and Heard have appealed to the Virginia Court of Appeals
“The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented at the trial and reached a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant himself defamed Mr Depp on multiple occasions. We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand,” a Depp spokesman said.
A day after Heard’s team appealed, Depp’s team filed one after he was ordered to pay $2 million in damages after being convicted of a single defamation charge for alleging that the charges of domestic violence against him were false.
The Pirates of the Caribbean acting team said they are appealing to ensure “all information is considered by the court” as they come back to consider Heard’s appeal.