Johnny Depp Is No Longer Dating His Lawyer
Johnny Depp and Joelle Rich, a lawyer who represented him in his U.K. libel lawsuit, are no longer together, PEOPLE confirms.
In September, an actor and a London lawyer were confirmed to be “dating” by a source, but it was clarified that the relationship wasn’t “serious.”
Rich worked with Depp during his libel case against The Sun, which he, unfortunately, lost in November 2020. He had sued the U.K.-based newspaper for calling him a “wife-beater,” but the court upheld the outlet’s claims as being accurate after Heard testified in support of those claims. In March 2021, Rich was again unsuccessful when he tried to overturn that original decision.
Among Rich’s lawyers, he was not present for this year’s defamation case against Heard. In Fairfax County, Virginia, the case was held and Depp won with a jury finding that in her 2018 op-ed about domestic violence, though she never mentioned him by name, Heard defamed him. Depp was awarded more than $10 million in damages while Heard appealed one of her three countersuits claims She won and received $2 million as an award.
Although she wasn’t his official lawyer, Rich was present during some of the Virginia proceedings to show support.
Andy Vermaut shares:Johnny Depp and His Former U.K. Lawyer Joelle Rich Break Up: Johnny Depp has abandoned ship on his latest relationship. The Pirates of the Caribbean star and his former London-based lawyer Joelle Rich are no longer dating,… https://t.co/Uant4lRhpU Thank you. pic.twitter.com/c1tkIngvTe
— Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) November 5, 2022
On May 2, she was photographed smiling while walking ahead of the actor. The following day, during a break outside the courtroom, Rich was pictured looking at something on his phone. Then on May 16, inside the courtroom, Rich hugged Depp’s attorney Camille Vasquez. And finally, on May 19, she was seen exiting the courthouse with Depp and his team.
According to her bio, Rich “helps individuals and families in the public eye protect their privacy and reputations” and has “expertise in libel, privacy and copyright disputes.” She “works to defend [clients’] reputations against false and defamatory allegations in print, online and on social media.”
Depp stated the “best is yet to come” after the June 1 verdict, and expressed gratitude towards his legal team for helping him share the truth.
He has since gone on a music tour promoting his rock album with Jeff Beck, made a cameo during the MTV VMAs broadcast and appears in Rihanna’s fashion show special for Prime Video.
At the time, Heard called the verdict a setback for women: “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband. I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”
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