Amber Heard’s now-former lead attorney Elaine Bredehoft has decided to “step down” as her client fights to appeal the devastating court decision resulting from her ex-husband Jhonny Depp’s multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit.
Bredehoft represented Heard as she and her ex-husband battled it out in a Virginia courtroom earlier this year after the Pirates of the Caribbean star accused the actress of defaming him in 2018 op-ed published in the Washington Post.
After several weeks of explosive testimony from witnesses, including Heard and Depp, a jury mostly sided with Depp and awarded the actor $10.4 million (£8.59m) in damages, which the judge reduced from the original amount of $15 million (£14,856,750.00). However, Heard did one a part of her countersuit as the jury awarded her $2 million (£1.65m).
But, soon after the verdict was announced, Bredehoft shared her client’s plans to appeal the decision.
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The appeal was filed officially last month, but Bredehoft will not be representing Heard as a press release shared on August 15 explained that Heard has now retained the services of new appellate counsel.
David L. Axelrod and Jay Ward Brown of Ballard Spahr represent the new team taking on the case following Bredehoft’s departure. The pair previously successfully defended the New York Times after Sarah Palin sued the outlet for defamation earlier this year.
In a joint statement, Axelrod and Brown said:
“We welcome the opportunity to represent Ms. Heard in this appeal as it is a case with important First Amendment implications for every American. We’re confident the appellate court will apply the law properly without deference to popularity, reverse the judgement against Ms. Heard, and reaffirm the fundamental principles of Freedom of Speech.”
MORE: statement and press release from #AmberHeard’s team about new counsel and #ElaineBredehoft stepping down. @LawCrimeNetwork @lawcrimenews #JohnnyDepp pic.twitter.com/PrhisnbolW
— Angenette Levy (@Angenette5) August 15, 2022
Heard’s existing attorney Ben Rottenborn will join Axelrod and Brown, but Bredehoft said the appeal represented “the perfect time to pass the baton.”
The attorney continued:
“I have pledged to Amber and her appellate team my complete cooperation and assistance as they move forward on a path towards success.”
When Heard’s legal team filed their appeal, a spokesperson for the actress told the Los Angeles Times:
“We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the 1st Amendment. We are therefore appealing the verdict. While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.”
In response, a spokesperson for Depp said:
“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 case and that this verdict will stand.”
The appeal comes after Heard’s team requested a mistrial in the defamation case after claiming one of the 12 jurors was incorrectly seated. However, the judge thoroughly rejected their argument last month.
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Sources:
- “Amber Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft steps down from representing actor” Unilad.