Amber Heard formally announces appeal in defamation case

Amber Heard's legal team has formally declared its intention to appeal the verdict in her defamation trial against Johnny Depp.

On 1 June, a jury found the Aquaman actress liable of defaming her ex-husband in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed and he was awarded more than $10 million (£8 million) in damages.

At the time, Heard's legal team stated that they planned to appeal the ruling and her attorney Elaine Bredehoft made their intention formal in court in Fairfax, Virginia on Friday.

According to Deadline, Judge Penney Azcarate told Bredehoft that Heard would have to put up an $8.35 million (£6.8 million) bond with 6 per cent interest per year for any appeal to formally move forward.

Bredehoft told the court that her client does not have the money to pay the Pirates of the Caribbean star or meet the bond. Her legal team have around 21 days to file their appeal.

During the hearing, a final judgment in the case was submitted and signed by Judge Azcarate. Many had speculated that the actors, who were married between 2015 and 2016, might come to a settlement before the final judgment was entered, but this was not the case. The judgment reflected the damages awarded at the conclusion of the trial.

The jury also found Depp liable of defaming Heard with one statement made by his former lawyer and she was awarded $2 million (£1.6 million).