Camille Vasquez, Johnny Depp's Legal Team Hug in Win Over Amber Heard

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Camille Vasquez and several other members of Johnny Depp's legal team were seen sharing hugs after the actor's win over his ex-wife Amber Heard in a defamation trial.

In a video posted to Twitter by Asjad Nazir, the group of lawyers representing Depp can be seen celebrating and hugging following the jury's verdict. "The #JohnnyDepp legal team has a well deserved group hug after their enormous victory. They are all heroes," the tweet said.

The video comes just moments after the jury's verdict was announced, which awarded Depp, the Pirates of the Caribbean star, $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

Johnny Depp
Members of Johnny Depp's legal team, including Camille Vasquez, were seen embracing in hugs after the victory in the trial against Amber Heard. Above, Depp's attorneys Camille Vasquez and Ben Chew stand in the courtroom... JIM WATSON/POOL/AFP/Getty

Heard, the Aquaman actress, was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages, the jury ruled.

Depp filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife after a 2018 op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post. In the op-ed, Heard wrote that she was a victim of domestic abuse; however, she never explicitly named Depp in the article. Despite his name not being included, Depp claimed that the op-ed damaged his career as an actor and sued his ex-wife for $50 million.

The $2 million that Heard was awarded came after the jury found a statement made by Depp's former attorney, Adam Waldman, defamatory.

In 2020, Waldman told the Daily Mail that Heard's allegations against Depp were a "hoax," which the jury ruled as defamatory.

"Quite simply this was an ambush, a hoax," Waldman told the Daily Mail. "They set Mr. Depp up by calling the cops, but the first attempt didn't do the trick. The officers came to the penthouses, thoroughly searched and interviewed, and left after seeing no damage to face or property. So Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911."

Waldman made several other statements about Heard but the jury ruled that they were not defamatory toward the actress.

While the jury awarded Depp $15 million in the trial, the actor was not present at the verdict reading at the court in Fairfax, Virginia.

"Due to previously scheduled work commitments made before the trial, Mr. Depp will not be physically present for today's 3 p.m. verdict and will be watching from the United Kingdom," a source close to Depp previously told Newsweek.

The trial between Depp and Heard lasted six weeks and included testimonies from numerous individuals, including Heard's sister, Kate Moss and actress Ellen Barkin.

About the writer

Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In January 2023, Matthew traveled to Moscow, Idaho where he reported on the quadruple murders and arrest of Bryan Kohberger. Matthew joined Newsweek in 2019 after graduating from Syracuse University. He also received his master's degree from St. John's University in 2021. You can get in touch with Matthew by emailing m.impelli@newsweek.com. Languages: English.


Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more