Celebrity News June 22, 2022
Johnny Depp Headed on Tour with the Hollywood Vampires
Johnny Depp has big plans following his defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard.
The star is heading overseas for a short tour with the Hollywood Vampires, including bandmates Joe Perry, Alice Cooper and Tommy Henriksen.
The band announced the news on Instagram, revealing tickets go on sale June 27 for a tour kicking off in June 2023.
After canceling a previous tour due to COVID-19, the group will be back on the road and the first stop will be in Oberhausen, Germany, on June 20.
The shows will wrap by June 30 with a performance in Mainz, Germany.
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Depp, who has appeared a special guest at Jeff Beck’s shows in recent weeks, will also join the rocker for a string of European shows in July.
They also have a new album dropping July 15 called “18,” which includes their single, “This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr.”
Johnny’s plans come days after Amber was spotted bargain-hunting in Bridgehampton, New York.
The actress, who owes her ex-husband more than $8 million in damages, was looking for deals at T.J.Maxx last Thursday.
Video obtained by TMZ shows Amber, wearing blue jeans and a white button-up top, browsing shirts and shoes at the discount store. At one point, Amber notices the camera and bolts.
TMZ notes it is unknown if the women made any purchases that day, as Amber faces a steep financial judgment and possible appeal ahead.
Earlier this month, “Today’s” Savannah Guthrie asked Heard’s lawyer Elaine Charlson Bredehoft if Heard could afford to pay Johnny the millions in damages. The attorney answered, “Oh, no. Absolutely not.”
As far as whether the star would appeal, Charlson Bredehoft said, “Absolutely, and she has some excellent grounds for it.”
Depp’s attorneys Camille Vasquex and Ben Chew also spoke with Guthrie about an appeal, with Chew telling the anchor, "We feel very confident that there are no errors that would justify any kind of successful appeal.”
Depp was suing Heard for $50 million. She was countersuing him for $100 million.
The jury ruled in favor of Depp, agreeing that it was defamation when Heard claimed she was a domestic abuse survivor in a 2018 op-ed. He was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The judge immediately reduced the $5 million figure to $350,000, in line with a Virginia statutory cap.
Amber also had a partial win in her countersuit, as the jury awarded her $2 million in compensatory damages for a statement made by one of Depp’s lawyers.
After the verdict, Johnny released a statement saying, “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me, were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye.”
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View Story“False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me,” Depp went on. “It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.
Showing his appreciation to the jury, he said, “And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled. My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought.”
Depp noted that he felt “at peace” after being able to speak his truth.
He added, “I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media. The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun. Veritas numquam perit. Truth never perishes.”
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View StoryHeard told "Extra," “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. 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."
She went on, “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."
“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the U.K.,” Heard argued. “I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly."