Amber Heard has employed new attorneys as she appeals the $10 million verdict awarded to Johnny Depp of their defamation battle — a transfer specialists mentioned might be advantageous for the “Aquaman” actress.
Heard, 36, has introduced on David Axelrod and Jay Ward Brown, of nationwide legislation agency Ballard Spahr, who efficiently represented the New York Occasions towards former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s libel lawsuit.
They’ll assist Heard as she fights to overturn the largely unfavorable verdict towards her handed down by a jury following the ex-couple’s bombshell trial in Fairfax, Virginia.
Virginia lawyer Elaine Bredehoft — who repped Heard at trial — will probably be leaving the crew, in line with a spokesperson for the actress.
“A distinct courtroom warrants completely different illustration, significantly as a lot new proof is now coming to gentle,” the rep mentioned.
Texas civil lawyer Katherine Lizardo — who adopted the trial carefully — mentioned she anticipated the change within the authorized crew and famous it might profit Heard.
“This can be a good transfer for her as a result of it might give her a distinct perspective legally from trial counsel,” Lizardo advised The Publish.
Attraction attorneys are a “completely different breed” of attorneys who're specialists within the “nuanced and specialty” area of legislation, Lizardo defined.
“If Amber Heard didn't rent an lawyer that was conversant in the appellate system then she would lose,” she mentioned.
Lizardo additionally famous that it takes a sure demeanor to argue an appellate case — which in Virginia solely permits for all sides to talk for quarter-hour earlier than a three-judge panel.
“Elaine Bredehoft’s type at trial and her time administration points wouldn’t work for enchantment,” Lizardo mentioned. “We noticed when Elaine would ramble on or argue unrelated issues and that may be very detrimental if she argued equally in entrance of the courtroom of enchantment judges.”
New York civil lawyer William Newman advised The Publish that Axelrod and Brown’s maneuvers in Palin’s case towards the Occasions sign the kind of technique the authorized crew will use in Heard’s enchantment.
The attorneys had centered on attempting to show that statements made concerning the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee in a Occasions piece weren’t made with precise malice — which is a better authorized commonplace utilized to instances involving public figures.
“By deciding on a lawyer that famously made that argument within the Sarah Palin case — that tells me that [actual malice] goes to be one thing that they're going to probably concentrate on on this enchantment,” Newman mentioned.
Nonetheless, Newman mentioned it’s good that Heard remains to be hanging onto one among her Virginia attorneys from trial, Benjamin Rottenborn.
“I believe it’s a good selection,” Newman mentioned of hiring Axelrod and Brown. “Ballard Spahr is a really nicely regarded agency. She is in good palms.”
“It’s nonetheless excellent to have native Virginia attorneys engaged on it too,” Newman added.
Former California appeals courtroom choose and present legal protection lawyer Halim Dhanidina advised The Publish that hiring new attorneys for an enchantment is routine and has many upsides, together with gaining the experience of an appellate lawyer and getting a recent set of eyes on the case.
A trial lawyer “is sort of too near the problems.” Dhanidina mentioned. “Whereas an appellate specialist may have the ability to take a look at what occurred within the decrease courtroom report and have maybe a distinct perspective or a distinct technique of how they is perhaps profitable on enchantment.”
“What an lawyer may wish to do on the appellate degree is maybe second guess a number of the methods or actions taken by the trial lawyer and the lawyer who dealt with the trial would clearly not be able to be crucial or to second guess their very own actions,” the previous choose famous.
The 59-year-old “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor received a $10.35 million verdict in June with a jury siding together with his claims that Heard defamed him in a 2018 Washington Publish op-ed piece on being a sufferer of home violence.
Whereas she didn’t particularly title Depp within the essay, his facet argued at trial that it clearly referred to her allegations that he abused her round their 2016 divorce.
The jury awarded Heard $2 million in her counterclaims that Depp defamed her when his lawyer Adam Waldman known as her claims a hoax.
Bredehoft didn’t return a request for remark Monday.
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