According to the judge, there is no evidence of misconduct that would require a new trial.
Actress Amber Heard’s request for a new trial was denied. EPA/AOP
A judge in the US state of Virginia Penney Azcarate has rejected actress Amber Heard’s, 36, demands for a new trial against her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp.
Heard had asked the court to overturn a jury’s decision in an earlier trial, in which Heard was ordered to pay 59-year-old Depp a whopping $10 million in defamation damages.
Heard requested a new trial because one of the jurors was not the person called as a juror, but her son.
– There is no evidence of fraud or misconduct, Judge Azcarate states in his decision to reject Heard’s demands for a new trial.
According to Azcarate, the juror in question met the statutory requirements, even though he was not a person summoned for jury service.
– This juror passed the inspection, sat on the jury the whole time, considered the decision and reached the decision, the judge states.
In June, the lawsuit ended in Heard’s defeat when a jury ordered her to pay her ex-husband $10.35 million in damages for defamation.
However, the jury also found that Depp had defamed Heard and ordered him to pay his ex-wife two million dollars in damages.