Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard “was never about money,” according to his attorneys.
On Wednesday — one week after Depp, 58, won all three defamation claims in the case against Heard, 36, and was awarded $15 million in damages by a jury — his lawyers Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Chew appeared on Good Morning America, where Chew told George Stephanopoulos that his client was only interested in “restoring his reputation” during the six-week trial.
“You all have said the goal is not to impoverish Ms. Heard. Is it possible we could see a settlement where she forgoes the appeal, in return for Mr. Depp waiving any monetary damages?” asked Stephanopoulos.
“We obviously can’t disclose any attorney-client communications, but as Mr. Depp testified and as we both made clear in our respective closings, this was never about money for Mr. Depp,” Chew responded. “This was about restoring his reputation, and he’s done that.”
Chew’s statements come after Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft said on the Today show last week that her client would “absolutely not” be able to pay the money owed to Depp. (The Aquaman 2 actress will only have to pay $10.35 million total due to a Virginia law capping punitive damages. The judge reduced the amount, and Heard was awarded $2 million in damages against Depp in a defamation countersuit she brought against Depp.)
source people.com
