After the settlement, his attorneys said on Wednesday that Johnny Depp may not receive his $10.4 million payout from ex-wife Amber Heard because he is completely satisfied with his “total win” in finally clearing his name.
“We can’t discuss attorney-client communications, but as Mr. Depp stated during his deposition, this was never about money for him,” one of the Depp’s lawyers, Ben Chew, told “Good Morning America” when asked about Heard’s concern about becoming a penniless loser.
“This was about restoring his reputation — and he’s done that,” Chew said.
“It was a total win for Johnny,” he said to George Stephanopoulos.
In a separate live interview on the “Today” show, Chew also shot down the idea that the actress would be able to overturn her verdict.
“We feel very confident that there are no errors that would justify any kind of successful appeal,” he stated.
Camille Vasquez, a fellow attorney who made herself a celebrity and was this week promoted to partner in her firm, described it as “disappointing” that Heard’s team characterized their win as a blow to women’s rights and the #MeToo movement.
Camille said Amber was brought down by them “using her words against her.”
“The key to victory was focusing on the facts and the evidence, and Johnny’s opportunity to speak the truth for the first time,” she told “GMA,” calling it “six years in the making.”
“Every question that was asked was tied to something she had said previously.
“And I think the jury got to see, the world got to see and hear from Miss Heard” about the truth in the couple’s toxic relationship.
“We believe that evidence speaks for itself. … The jury made a unanimous decision based on those facts,” she states.
“We encourage any victims to come forward, domestic violence doesn’t have a gender,” she said of evidence presented showing that Depp had been attacked, too.
The two said that social media had not improperly influenced the seven Virginia jurors and that their comments to “Today” were unrelated. Chew also dismissed allegations that the considerable backing Depp received online was part of a pre-meditated campaign as “absolutely absurd and baseless.”
When asked if the actor’s team had assisted in promoting the support, or even paid for it, Vasquez replied that such claims were “categorically false.”
Depp won over fans and ultimately the jury, according to Chew, due to his “accountability” in his toxic marriage.
“Johnny owned his issues. He was very candid about his alcohol and drug issues. He was candid about some unfortunate texts that he wrote,” said Ben Chew.
“And I think it was a sharp contrast to Ms. Heard who … didn’t take accountability for anything.”
Vasquez Depp was feeling “just an overwhelming sense of relief.”
“I was speaking with another friend of ours, a mutual friend of Johnny’s and ours, and he said, ‘I haven’t seen Johnny smile like that in six years.’”
Chew said that the actor was “was over the moon” about the court’s decision. “The weight of the world is off his shoulders. He’s got his life back,” he continued, in line with the star’s own comments.
Meanwhile, Vasquez credited her dramatic rise to fame during the highly reported case.
“It’s been surreal, and if I’m being honest, a bit overwhelming,” she said.
“But if I can be an inspiration to young women that want to go to law school and study and work hard, then it was all worth it,” she added.
After seven Fairfax jurors ruled in Depp’s favor that a Washington Post op-ed Heard wrote about becoming a “public figure representing domestic abuse” had slandered and harmed his career.
The Washington Post has subsequently added a comprehensive editor’s note to Heard’s op-ed, noting how it was determined to be slanderous.
