Johnny Depp’s verdict thrown into chaos as wrong juror sitting in Virginia trial, says Amber Heard; He wants new proof

Exclusive: If there wasn’t enough drama over Johnny Depp’s victory over Amber Heard in her multimillion-dollar libel suit last month, things have gotten legally weird.

“Mr. Hurd had the right to rely on the basic defense, as defined by the Virginia Code, that the jurors in this court would actually be people called upon to serve as jury,” the new filing said Friday, which was partially drafted. aquaman The Star Legal Team (read here).

“In this case, it appears that juror number 15 was not, in fact, the same person who was on the panel of the jury,” added attorney Elaine Bredhoft in language from the previous June 24 filing. “Ms. Therefore, Heard’s due process has been compromised. Under these circumstances, a mistrial should be declared and a retrial ordered.”

Unlike a previous motion and memorandum filed with the Fairfax County District Court late last month to overturn the June 1 verdict and grant a retrial, today’s supplemental memorandum contains far more details on what Depp could win. in his long legal battle. ex wife.

According to the censored lawsuit, the Virginia resident received a subpoena in April for a $ 15 million delayed libel action that Depp filed in March 2019 against Heard for 2018. Washington Post He said he was the “public face” of domestic violence. However, even based on today’s presentation, there appear to be two people living at the same address with at least “the same surname”, one aged 77 and the other aged 52.

The former was called, but it seems that it was the latter who showed up. So, 52 years old [redacted] A juror for six weeks was never called to serve on the jury on April 11 and did not appear on the roster as required, ”the overwhelming statement on Friday said.

Unnoticed by court officials or clerks, the younger person appeared before the jury apparently without being asked to produce any identification, or perhaps with a false identification, as implied in the filing. Furthermore, it appears that someone has filled in the online information form required, either intentionally or by accident, to claim to have been born in 1945.

Unaware of this at the time and during the media-haunted trial, Heard’s defense team must now explain and see some findings that could enlighten Depp’s team:

As the Court will no doubt agree, it is deeply troubling that someone who has not been called up for the position of jury may still appear as a member of the jury and serve on a jury, especially in such a case. It was a high profile case where the fact and date of the jury trial were widely known before and after the jury was convened. Virginia has statutory code provisions designed to ensure that a person summoned for jury duty is present during jury duty.

The Fairfax County Jury Questionnaire website promotes this goal by requiring all county residents to log in with their 7-digit juror number, postcode, and “date of birth”. A. 5 (emphasis added). These safeguards exist and are invoked by the parties to verify the identity of the correct juror to ensure a fair trial and a fair trial for all parties. When these guarantees are evaded or ignored, as seen here, the right to a jury trial and due process are harmed and compromised.

Neither Heard nor Depp’s reps responded to Deadline’s request for comment on Friday’s performance. We’re also trying to contact the Virginia courthouse to find out what.

While the details aren’t surprising, the gist of Heard’s move isn’t: Judge Penny Azcarat delivered the $ 10 million verdict in nearly a minute in favor of an absent Depp, Heard defense, and $ 100 million. dollars. The counter-complaint team has promised to challenge the appeals court’s decision.

Faced with a $ 8.3 million bonus in the future, Hurd’s team may have cut a Gordian financial knot with this seemingly Keystone Kops-like incident.