Amber Heard, Johnny Depp to appeal defamation verdict

MANILA, Philippines — Actress Amber Heard intends to appeal against the decision that heavily favored her ex Johnny Depp in a defamation trial that ruled she must pay $10 million (P561 million) to the former "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor.

Amber's notice comes two months after the decision of a Virginia jury that ruled the actress defamed Johnny in an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post about her past on domestic abuse; she never mentioned Johnny's name in the article.

As of writing, the "Aquaman" actress has yet to pay the $8.3 million (P466 million) required to conduct an appeal, but has so far placed a $500 (P28,000) to begin the appeal process; her legal team has until September 4 to make an official filing.

“We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment,” a spokesperson for Amber said. “While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.”

Related: Johnny Depp celebrates defamation verdict, Amber Heard 'heartbroken'

In relation to the issue, the First Amendment of the United States' Constitution states there shall be no law that "abridges freedom of speech" or "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Johnny's legal team responded to Amber's intention to appeal by stating their confidence that the initial verdict in the Jack Sparrow actor will stand, with one lawyer calling the appeal attempt "baseless" and "frivolous."

In fact, representation for Johnny countered quickly by filing their own appeal, likely not just as an additional response against Amber but to bring down the $2 million (P112.2 million) Johnny owes Amber from his ex's countersuit that was worth $100 million (P5.6 billion).

Johnny had initially sued Amber $50 million (P2.8 billion) for defamation over her Washington Post article. When the ruling was given, Amber was supposed to pay Johnny $10.35 million (P581 million).

Presiding judge Penney Azcarate had recently rejected Amber's demand for a mistrial over one juror being involved in a case of mistaken identity; Azcarete found that the juror in question "met the statutory requirements for service."

RELATED: US judge rejects Amber Heard's demand for new Depp trial