Amber Heard has fired the lawyer who defended her in her unsuccessful defamation lawsuit with Johnny Depp as she seeks to appeal the verdict.
Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, who represented the Aquaman actress in the six-week defamation trial, has split from Heard. Attorneys David L. Axelrod and Jay Ward Brown, who represented the New York Times in a defamation lawsuit against 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin earlier this year, will handle the appeals process.
The two work for Ballard Spahr and have handled a variety of cases, including corporations and individuals in high-stakes civil litigation, speakers in First Amendment cases, journalists and news organizations.
Announcing the news, Heard’s rep said in a statement: “When it comes to protecting the fundamental right to freedom of expression, we do not view the jury’s decision – to paraphrase a famous quote – as ‘the beginning of the end, just the beginning of the end the end of the beginning.”‘
“A different court warrants a different representation, especially now that so much new evidence is coming to light.”
Heard, 36, was ordered to pay her ex-husband more than $10 million in damages at the end of the explosive trial in June when a jury ruled that she had defamed Depp in a newspaper article published in 2018.
Following the verdict, Bredhoft said in an interview with the Today Show that the actress could not pay the millions of dollars in damages she owed Depp. More than a month later, Heard’s legal team filed a complaint to appeal the verdict to the Virginia Court of Appeals in Fairfax County.
Amber Heard’s attorney Elaine Charlson Bredehoft (left), who represented the actress during the six-week defamation trial, was dropped as the appeals process against the judge’s verdict in the Johnny Depp defamation trial continues
Bredehoft said Monday it was time to pass the baton as the process to reverse the millions Heard owes Depp continues
Attorney David L. Axelrod (right) and Jay Ward Brown (left) handle the appeals process. The couple represented the New York Times earlier this year in a lawsuit alleging defamation of Sarah Palin, the former 2008 Republican vice president
Attorney Ben Rottenborn, who served alongside Bredehoft, will continue to serve on Heard’s legal team
Bredehoft said: “This is the perfect time to pass the baton.
‘I have expressed my full cooperation and support to Amber and her appeals team in their journey to success.’
Attorney Ben Rottenborn will continue to serve on Heard’s legal team.
Throughout the libel trial, Bredehoft garnered sympathy from Depp fans, who claimed she looked “weary” amid reports that Heard had screaming fights with her legal team outside the courtroom.
Words of encouragement for Bredehoft online grew after Heard’s testimony in May, in which the lawyer struggled during questioning.
When Bredehoft questioned Heard on her last day on the witness stand, Depp’s attorney, Camille Vasquez, contradicted every other question Bredehof tried to ask.
Vasquez’s objections were upheld several times by the judge who preceded the high-profile case, prompting Bredehoft to stand in the middle of the issue several times.
“I’m trying here, I’m trying…” Bredehoft said, and let out a frustrated sigh.
During the six-week trial, attorney Elaine Bredehoft won sympathy from social media users, who claimed she looked “lean.”
Heard was ordered to pay Deep more than $10 million at the end of the defamation trial. Likewise, Depp was asked to pay his ex-wife $2 million
At the conclusion of the defamation trial, Depp, 59, was awarded between $10 million and $15 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
The judge later capped damages to the state maximum of $350,000, leaving Depp a total of $8.35 million.
Meanwhile, Heard won one of her three counterclaims related to statements by Depp’s attorney that the actress and her friends vandalized her home before calling the police.
Judge Penney Azcarate ruled that there was “no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing” by the jury and that the jury’s verdict should stand
The actress was awarded $2 million in damages out of the $100 million she was seeking.
A day after Heard’s team filed an appeal, Depp’s team did the same to reverse the few millions the actor owes his ex-wife.
The Pirates of the Caribbean cast say they have appealed to ensure “all information is considered by the court” while they return to consider Heard’s appeal.
Before appealing, Heard’s attorney asked the judge to overturn the decision and declare a mistrial. It was argued that one of the jurors should not have served on the case because his subpoena was for his father, who had the same name and lived at the same address.
Judge Penny Azcarate shot down the motion, claiming there was no “evidence of fraud or wrongdoing” by the jury and that the jury’s verdict should stand.
Timeline of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial
In March 2019, Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for $50 million after she wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post in 2018 saying she was molested by the Pirates of the Caribbean star. However, she never explicitly named Depp in the piece, instead writing that she is “a public figure who portrays domestic violence.”
In February 2020, audio footage obtained by revealed it was heard punching Depp. “I frigging punched you… I don’t know what the motion of my hand was but you’re fine, I didn’t hurt you, I didn’t punch you, I punched you,” I heard said.
In January 2021, Heard sued her ex-husband for $100 million
On April 11, 2022, the six-week trial began in Virginia to discuss the abuse allegations made throughout the couple’s relationship. The couple married in 2015 but divorced in 2017.
On April 20, 2022, Heard admitted to getting violent with Depp when audio recordings of the actress were played
On May 4, 2022, Heard took the stand to recall his romance with Depp before he allegedly abused her. The actress said the abuse dates back to 2013, when Depp allegedly sexually assaulted her.
On May 25, 2022, Depp testified again, claiming Heard’s allegations were false. He claimed never to have abused his ex-wife
On June 1, 2022, the judge in Depp ruled Heard’s defamation lawsuit, ordering her to pay the The Pirates of the Caribbean star $10.3 million. The jury awarded Heard $2 million after Depp’s attorney said Heard and her friends ransacked her home before calling the police.
On July 21, 2022, Heard appealed the judge’s decision in her defamation case against Depp — two months after she was ordered to pay her ex-husband $10 million in damages.
On July 22, 2022, Depp appealed his conviction for defamation of Heard after he called the domestic violence claims made against him a “hoax” — and ordered him to pay his ex-wife $2 million