Details Emerge About Amber Heard's Appeal Against $10 Million Defamation Verdict

Earlier this year, Johnny and Amber spent weeks detailing their turbulent marriage in a high-profile defamation trial before the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia. The actor sued his ex-wife for $50 million, claiming that her opinion piece in The Washington Post published in December 2018 defamed him. He argued that the article damaged his reputation and career.

In the opinion piece, which did not mention Johnny's name, Amber characterized herself as a "public figure symbolizing domestic abuse." The actor's lawyers believed Amber based the article on Johnny as she previously accused him of domestic abuse during their 2016 divorce proceedings. 

In a shocking turn of events, the actress countersued Johnny for $100 million, asserting that the latter's lawyers slandered her by calling her allegations a hoax. Following the competing case, the jury had to decide if Amber's two passages and the headline from the actress's opinion essay were defamatory.

After deliberations, the jury finally ordered Amber to pay Johnny $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.

A few months after losing the sweeping defamation case, Amber has filed an appeal to the Virginia courts asking for a reversal of their decision or an entirely new trial for the case. According to reports, the Aquaman star filed the appeal in November 2022 and argued that the exclusion of some of her therapy notes — ruled out by Virginia Judge Penney Azcarate— in which she reported being abused by Johnny, resulted in an unfair trial.

Also, Amber's lawyers wrote that if the decision is not reversed, the court's exclusion of domestic violence reports to medical professionals will make it difficult for other abused victims to come forward and prove abuse allegations. In their words:

"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's appeal comes a few weeks after Johnny filed an appeal against the court's decision during the defamation case earlier this year. The court had awarded Amber $2 million in her countersuit against the actor, claiming his lawyer defamed her by calling her allegations a hoax.

However, in early November 2022, Johnny filed an appeal against the court's decision. In the documents, the actor asked the court to reverse the judgment in his favor, as he wouldn't have won the defamation case if they didn't think he was innocent. The public awaits the outcome of the appeals which a group of judges will deliberate on.