Amber Heard Says Johnny Depp Verdict Has 'Chilling Effect' on Women, Demands Reversal or New Trial

Amber Heardappealed theJohnny Deppdefamation verdict, demanding a reversal or new trial and saying the outcome has a “chilling effect” on women speaking out.

They also argued the trial shouldn’t have moved forward since Depp lost the his U.K. libel case againstThe Sunin November 2020 over the British tabloid calling him a “wife-beater.” That London court upheld the outlet’s claims as being “substantially true” and Heard testified to back up the claims. In March 2021, his attempt tooverturn the decision was overruled.

Heard’s lawyers said in the documents: “The trial court also erred in overruling Heard’s demurrer, in which she argued that the challenged statements are non-actionable expressions of opinion and are not reasonably capable of conveying the alleged defamatory implication. That holding, if allowed to stand, undoubtedly will have a chilling effect on other women who wish to speak about abuse involving powerful men.”

Amber Heard; Johnny Depp.JIM LO SCALZO/POOL/AFP/Getty

At the highly publicized Virginia trial earlier this year, a seven-person jury found that Heard defamed Johnny in her op-ed about domestic violence, and he was awarded more than $10 million in damages. Additionally, Heard won one of her defamation counterclaims and was awarded $2 million.

For more on this story, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

Her lawyers suggested that the two verdicts contradict each other — and claimed the damages awarded to Depp “clearly is excessive given the narrow time frame for which Depp could recover.”

Steve Helber/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Depp is also appealing,calling the counterclaim verdict “erroneous"in a filing last month.

The documents added, “Ms. Heard presented no evidence at trial that Mr. Depp was personally involved in directing or making any of the three Waldman Statements. Indeed, Mr. Depp testified that he had never even seen the Waldman Statements prior to the filing of the Counterclaim in August of 2020.”

RELATED VIDEO: Johnny Depp Appeals Amber Heard’s $2 Million Counterclaim Win, Argues Verdict Was ‘Erroneous’

In August, a rep for Heard announced that the actresschanged her legal teamfor the appeal. Elaine Charlson Bredehoft stepped down while Ben Rottenborn became co-counsel, and she hired David L. Axelrod and Jay Ward Brown of Ballard Spahr to lead.

“When it comes to protecting the fundamental right of Freedom of Speech, we look at the jury’s decision — to paraphrase a famous quote — not ‘as the beginning of the end, but merely the end of the beginning.’ A different court warrants different representation, particularly as so much new evidence is now coming to light,” her rep said in a statement at the time.

Judge Penney Azcaratedenied Heard’s request for a mistrialin July, and after Heard officially appealed the verdict, Depp’s legal team announced that they wouldalso be appealing her countersuit verdict.

In a July statement aboutmoving forward with the appeal, a spokesperson for Heard said they “believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment.”

“We are therefore appealing the verdict,” they added at the time. “While we realize today’s filing willignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.”

Responding to the development, a Depp spokesperson then said in a statement: “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 caseand that this verdict will stand.”

source: people.com