Celebrity News November 04, 2022
Johnny Depp & Lawyer Joelle Rich Split (Report)
Two months after romance rumors swirled around Johnny Depp, 59, and his U.K. lawyer Joelle Rich, 37, it looks like things have fizzled!
People magazine confirms they are no longer dating.
Rich was recently spotted at a family wedding without Depp in Ibiza.
Another source hinted that things were only casual from the beginning. They told DailyMail.com, “Are they still an item? We are not talking about a normal couple here. It’s not a big, stable, committed love affair and I’m not sure that it ever was. I don’t know if they are together in any way at this point. Certainly I don’t believe it is a serious romantic relationship, or even an exclusive one.”
“Firstly, he has just come out of a massive legal battle [with ex-wife Amber Heard], so who would want to commit after that? It has been an extremely traumatic period for him,” the insider stressed. “Secondly, he’s Johnny Depp and I don’t think a standard committed relationship is going to be his thing.”
In September, a different source claimed that the chemistry between Johnny and Joelle was “off the charts,” adding, “It’s serious between them. They are the real deal.”
Earlier this year, Rich was in the Virginia courtroom for Depp’s defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard earlier this year, but she did not help represent him in the case.
The source shared, “There was no professional obligation for her being there. It was personal.”
Depp brought a libel lawsuit against The Sun U.K. in 2018 for labeling him a “wife beater,” but he lost the case in 2020.
Rich, who has two children, was married when she met the actor. She is now in the midst of a divorce.
Depp was previously rumored to be dating Camille Vasquez, the lawyer who represented him in his U.S. defamation trial.
Johnny Depp’s Attorney Laughs Off Dating Rumors — Watch!
View StoryVasquez, however, shut down those rumors in an interview with People in June, saying, “It’s also an unethical charge being made. It’s unfortunate and it’s disappointing, but at the same time it kind of comes with the territory. I can’t say I was all that surprised.”
In the U.S. trial, the jury found 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.
Both Johnny and Amber have filed appeals.