Amber Heard hires new legal team to appeal against $10m verdict in Johnny Depp defamation case

Amber Heard has scrapped her long-time attorney Elaine Bredehoft and hired a new legal team to appeal against the $10 million verdict in Johnny Depp’s defamation case against her.

The actress announced on Monday that she had hired high-profile attorneys David Axelrod and Jay Ward Brown from the firm Ballard Spahr to lead her appeal, in which she is aiming to overturn the multimillion-dollar ruling and avoid paying her ex-husband $10.35m (about R170m) in damages.
Bredehoft, who represented Heard, 36, in the bombshell six-week trial, is stepping down, with Ben Rottenborn, of the firm Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black, continuing to work as co-counsel.

A spokesperson for the “Aquaman” actress cited a “different court” and “new evidence” as the reasons behind the reshuffle in the legal team. When it comes to protecting the fundamental right of freedom of speech, we look at the jury’s decision – to paraphrase a famous quote – not ‘as the beginning of the end, but merely the end of the beginning’,” said the spokesperson.
A different court warrants different representation, particularly as so much new evidence is now coming to light.”

Bredehoft, of Bredehoft Cohen Brown and Nadelhaft, described her exit as “the perfect time to pass the baton”.

She added: “I have pledged to Amber and her appellate team my complete co-operation and assistance as they move forward on a path towards success. Axelrod and Ward Brown specialise in First Amendment cases and recently represented “The New York Times” in its defamation lawsuit against Sarah Palin.

Palin, 58, had sued the paper over a 2017 editorial which erroneously linked her to a mass shooting and the newspaper won the case in February.

Source: IOL

In other news – Simz Ngema celebrates her parent’s anniversary

I could never settle for less than what I’ve been taught and what I’ve seen with my own eyes. My parents taught me how to love and how to be loved. uThando ngal’ncela ebeleni.