Amber Heard attorneys say juror served improperly, seek mistrial
July 11, 2022, 9:24 am

Amber Heard attorneys say juror served improperly, seek mistrial

Amber Laura Heard (born April 22, 1986) is an American actress. Heard married actor Johnny Depp in 2015. She filed for divorce in May 2016, accusing Depp of domestic violence - Photo: Official Twitter account

An attorney for Amber Heard alleged in a recent filing that one of the jurors in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial served improperly. The attorney asked the court to declare a mistrial and order a new trial.

“Newly discovered facts” show Juror No. 15 in the six-week trial was not the individual summoned in April to serve in the case, Heard’s attorney wrote in a five-page memo filed Friday (July 9) in Virginia’s Fairfax Circuit Court, the Alarabiya English reported, citing the Associated Press.

Instead, the filing suggests Juror No. 15 was a younger individual with the same last name who “apparently” lives at the same address.

The filing said: “As the Court no doubt agrees, it is deeply troubling for an individual not summoned for jury duty nonetheless to appear for jury duty and serve on a jury, especially in a case such as this.”

John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, producer and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards and two BAFTAs - Photo: Twitter

Depp sued his ex-wife over a December 2018 op-ed Heard wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”

Much of the testimony focused on whether Heard had been physically and sexually abused, as she claimed. Depp said he never hit Heard and that she was the abuser.

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After a televised trial that turned into a spectacle, the jury found in Depp’s favor on all three of his claims relating to specific statements in the 2018 piece.

The jury decided Depp should receive $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, but the judge reduced the punitive damages award to $350,000 under a state cap.

Heard has previously said she plans to appeal the verdict.

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News of Friday’s filing was first reported by Deadline, which posted the document online.

The memo expanded upon earlier post-trial motions filed by Heard’s legal team that asked the judge to throw out the verdict against her.

Those motions had raised the possibility that one of the jurors may not have been properly vetted by the court.

The latest filing said a “jury panel list” in the case included a person who would have been 77 at the time of the trial. Voter registration information lists two individuals with the same last name “apparently” residing at the same address, said the filing, in which the names were redacted.

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The filing said: “The individual who appeared for jury duty with this name was obviously the younger one. Thus, the 52-year-old ... sitting on the jury for six weeks was never summoned for jury duty on April 11,” violating Heard’s due process rights.

The Associated Press sent emails seeking comment Sunday (July 10) to a representative for Depp and two of his attorneys.

Source: alarabiyaenglish

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”