Amber Heard's demand for a new trial with Johnny Depp rejected by US judge

Hollywood actress Amber Heard's demand for a new trial in her defamation case with ex-husband Johnny Depp has been rejected by a Virginia judge on Wednesday (July 13). 

The "Aquaman" actress Heard lost the defamation case with Depp in June and was ordered to pay $10.35 million in damages to her ex-husband. She had "defamed" the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star in a newspaper article, jury in Fairfax County had ruled. 

Heard's lawyers had asked Judge Penney Azcarate to set aside the jury verdict awarding $10 million to Depp and declare a mistrial. The judge denied the request. 

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The lawyers argued that one of the jurors on the defamation case should not have been eligible to serve. The lawyers said that juror's summons was intended for his father, with the same name, living at the same address. 

Azcarate said: "There is no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing" and the juror "met the statutory requirements for service." 

The judge said, "The juror was vetted, sat for the entire jury, deliberated, and reached a verdict." 

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Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation case

The 59-year-old Jonny Depp had sued Heard over an opinion article she wrote for The Washington Post. Depp argued that she defamed him when she called herself "a public figure representing domestic abuse" in the opinion piece. 

One of the most famous court cases in Hollywood, the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation case was live-streamed to millions of people. The case featured lurid and intimate details about the Hollywood celebrities' private lives. 

The jury found that the 2018 newspaper article written by Heard was defamatory. The jury awarded $10 million in damages to Depp. The 36-year-old Heard was awarded $2 million. She had counter-sued. 

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