Amber Heard's Johnny Depp Mistrial Request Denied By Judge

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Amber Heard’s legal team had filed new documents in an attempt to ask the judge to overturn the verdict of her and Johnny Depp’s defamation trial, which found her liable in all three matters raised, and saw Depp awarded $10 million in compensatory damages, and $350,000 in punitive damages.

The new 43-page filing not only suggested that Depp’s claims that he lost his role in the Pirates of the Caribbean series due to Heard’s op-ed article about domestic abuse were false, but more bizarrely, implied that one of the jurors in the trial could have been an imposter, as he appeared to be much younger than his given age, so therefore may not have been properly vetted by the court. ComicBook writes that, apparently, the jury summons was sent to someone from the same household who was 25 years older than the juror who reported to the court, explaining the discrepancy.

Now, as reported by Variety, it’s been confirmed that Judge Penney Azcarate has dismissed this argument, concluding that there’s no evidence of fraud, or evidence that the juror mistake biased the trial, and that Heard’s legal team should have raised the matter sooner.

“Defendant does not allege Juror Fifteen’s inclusion on the jury prejudiced her in any way,” the judge wrote (via Variety). “The juror was vetted, sat for the entire jury, deliberated and reached a verdict. The only evidence before this Court is that this juror and all jurors followed their oaths, the Court’s instructions and orders. This court is bound by the competent decision of the jury.”

Meanwhile, last week it was reported that Johnny Depp is apparently going to be starring in a new Netflix film - his first role since the defamation trial. Reportedly, he’s been cast as King Louis XV in La Favorite, a French period film which details Louis’ relationship with his third mistress, Madame Jeanne Bécu du Barry. The film is currently set to release sometime in 2023.