Legal experts are viewing Johnny Depp's last courtroom victory over ex-wife Amber Heard not just through the twists and turns of the courtroom drama, but also for the wider implications the jury's verdict will have in the larger world. Throughout the hearing, there had been talks that Amber solely married Depp for his money and that she didn't love or care for him at all.
As you would expect, the mother of one refuted these claims and even suggested that it was Depp who made her suffer both psychologically and financially. But now it appears there is new evidence pointing towards the possibility of embezzlement spearheaded by the Justice League star, and her only experienced lawyer, Ben Rottenborn, will find it hard to fight her corner. So, what are some new developments as we approach the commencement of the appeal? Let's find out.
Amber Heard is switching up her legal team as she prepares to appeal the decision in the Johnny Depp defamation trial, but one man remains, and he has more than enough on his plate; we are talking about Ben Rottenborn.
First, Amber and her legal team tried to make a case for a mistrial due to a juror mishap on July 8th, 2022, but that failed spectacularly. According to documents obtained by several newsrooms, the lawyers state that “based on newly discovered facts and information, Juror No. 15 was not the individual summoned for jury duty on April 11th, 2022.”
They also attempted to throw away the verdict altogether, where they claimed that Depp's compensatory award was “excessive” and “indefensible.” However, the judge denied the mistrial.
That aside, there have been endless talks of how Amber stole millions of dollars from Depp.
As the once married Rum Diary co-stars inch towards the appeal hearing, claims have reemerged over whether the Aquaman star actually donated her $7 million 2016 divorce settlement to charity as promised, and since it was proven that she did not, millions of Depp fans are now convinced this was a scheme the actress deployed to swindle money from the Oscar nominee.
Back in 2021, the since ousted lawyer for Amber, Elaine Bredehoft, said… “Mr. Depp's effort to plant stories in the media criticizing Amber for not yet fulfilling all the donations she pledged to charity is yet another desperate attempt to divert attention from the UK Court's findings relating to allegations of Mr. Depp committing domestic a b u s e and violence.”
Well, diverting perhaps, but not untrue, it seems. And now that Elaine is gone, Rotten born, as the senior-most attorney in Amber's team, will bear the burden of proving that his client did not directly or indirectly steal from Depp.
While the Fantastic Beasts actor initially handed over $100,000 of a promised $3.5 million to L.A.'s Children Hospital Foundation in Amber's name in 2016, a 2019 letter from the organization asked the actress “if she had knowledge if CHLA should expect further installments on her behalf or if the pledge will not be fulfilled.”
Amber stated in the UK High Court and on various other occasions over the past few years that she donated the full $7 million to CHLA and the ACLU after some initial hiccups in the agreement with her ex-husband.
In fact, in his biting November 2020 decision against Depp in the libel case against the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sun, Judge Andrew Nichol made a distinct point of praising the actress as Team Depp sought to sully the motivations of the anti-domestic violence advocate. "Her donation of the $7 million to charity is hardly the act one would expect of a gold-digger," said the High Court judge, also asserting The Sun's claims against Depp were "substantially true."
Again, over time, Depp has been vindicated, and Rottenborn now faces the huddle of proving Amber's innocence.
Tighten your seat belts, guys; the train is about to take off; epic journey ahead!
Remember, this information is based on theories and opinions and, therefore, shouldn't be considered facts.
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