A new romance. Johnny Depp is dating lawyer Joel Rich, who has filed a U.K. lawsuit against The Sun. Joel Rich was the lawyer in the lawsuit for libel, News studypdf could notably confirm.
“Their chemistry is off the charts,” an insider confides exclusively to Us that of the Pirates of the Caribbean star who is 59 and the lawyer. “It’s serious between them. They’re the real deal.”
Rich has been one among the attorneys that worked on Depp’s lawsuit in the case against the UK newspaper following his lawsuit against the newspaper for libel back in 2018. However, she wasn’t part of the legal team which worked with his the ex-wife Amber in the spring of this year. The lawyer represented him in the lawsuit for defamation against Hurd. However she was at the Virginia courtroom to demonstrate that she had “support” for the Oscar nominee.
“There was no obligation on her part to her presence. It was purely personal,” the source tells Us and adds that the pair “discreetly” were seen together in hotels throughout the initial phases of their relationship.
The insider pointed out it was reported that Rich was married at the time she began dating Depp however, she is currently divorced from her husband. The couple have two children.
In the course of his defamation lawsuit against Heard there was speculation about the Hollywood vampire singer was in a relationship with an attorney who was not his own: Camille Vasquez, one of the lawyers he was representing in that lawsuit. She is 38 years old. Southwestern Law School graduate later denied “sexist” speculation about her relationship with Depp.
“It’s also an unethical charge being made,” Vasquez said to People on June. “It’s regrettable and disappointing but at the same time , it sort of goes with the nature of the territory. I’m not sure I’m really shocked.”
Depp and Heard’s wedding, that ended in 2017, was the object in two different lawsuits brought in the name of Secret Window actor. The Kentucky native filed the first lawsuit against The Sun in June 2018 following the publication’s reference to the actor in the form of an “wife beater” in an article about his role as a character in his role in the Fantastic Beasts film series. The newspaper reported on allegations Heard in the past, detailing a number of instances of abuse prior to her split with Depp.
The trial was finally launched in July 2020, following delay caused by coronavirus outbreak. A few months later The U.K.’s High Court of Justice decided that the Sun’s story was not libelous since the Aquaman star’s assertions about her husband’s abuse claims are “substantially true.”
On March 20, 2021 the court ruled against Depp’s appeal in the matter. In the meantime, Rich told Deadline that she “seriously questioned” the U.K. judge’s decision. She also said that she was eager to “presenting the complete, irrefutable evidence of the truth in the U.S. libel case against Ms. Heard where she will have to provide full disclosure.”
The U.S. trial began in April the following year, 3 years following the time Depp filed a lawsuit against Heard over an opinion piece the actress wrote to The Washington Post in which she referred to herself as an abuse victim. In June the jury ruled for Depp, who is the Edward Scissorhands actor and ordered Heard the Texas resident to compensate her former husband $10.35 Million in cash damages. Heard received a further $2 million compensation following the jury determined that one of her lawyers made one defamatory comment about her.
“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” Depp stated to Us during a press conference shortly after the verdict was announced. “Speaking of the truth is something I owed to my kids as well as to everyone else who have stood firm in their support for me. I am at peace knowing I’ve finally achieved this.”
The representatives of Depp and Rich were not available for comment.
