Following allegations of “improper juror service,” Amber Heard’s attorneys have increased their demands for a new trial in their multimillion-dollar defamation case against Johnny Depp.
The actor’s legal team claimed in documents submitted Friday that a mistrial should be declared due to “newly discovered facts and information” on a specific juror.
According to the records, “Juror No. 15 was not the person summoned for jury service on April 11, 2022, and as a result was not a member of the jury panel and could not have legitimately served on the jury in this trial.”
“It is highly problematic for an individual not summoned for jury duty still to present for jury duty and serve on a jury, especially in a case like this,” the records added.
In this high-profile case, both the fact and the time of the jury trial were widely publicised before and after the juror summonses were issued.
Heard had the right, according to Heard’s attorneys, “to rely on basic protection… that the jurors in this trial would be people who actually received a jury duty summons.”
As a result, “Ms Heard’s due process was violated,” according to the documents.
This case should be declared a mistrial and a new trial should be set.
“Ms. Heard respectfully requests this court declare a mistrial due to unlawful jury service in violation of her due process rights, and order a new trial, as well as such other action or remedies as may be warranted,” the attorneys wrote in their closing argument.