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Just when you thought the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard story couldn't get any stranger...
Rumors have swirled recently that Depp has been dating one of his lawyers in his fight against ex-wife Heard, Camille Vasquez. That quickly turned out to be untrue.
But Depp is dating one of his attorneys from his UK libel case involving Heard from 2020, Joelle Rich--and according to a report in TMZ, things are serious enough she's divorcing her husband.
\u201cTurns out Johnny Depp is indeed dating one of his lawyers in his defamation case, but it's NOT Camille Vasquez. https://t.co/FEYvel1ioE\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1663855002
Rich was part of Depp's legal team in London when he sued UK tabloid The Sunfor libel after they called him a "wife beater" following his Heard's 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post in which she alleged physical and sexual abuse from an unnamed partner widely believed to be Depp.
Depp lost that case when the UK court ruled it was "substantially true" that he had abused Heard. The US defamation trial between Depp and Heard of course went very differently--Heard was demanded to pay Depp more than $10 million in damages.
Amid the months-long media circus that ensued around that trial, Depp's fans came to regard Vasquez as a hero, and the two were rumored to be romantically involved for quite some time.
But that turns out to have been more like fan-fiction than real-life. In reality, it was Rich, who was frequently seen in attendance at Depp's trial with Heard despite not having anything to do with the case.
Rich is a UK-based attorney whose website says she "works to defend [clients'] reputations against false and defamatory allegations in print, online, and on social media.
Her website also says she has "particular expertise in protecting individuals' privacy from unwarranted intrusion and media attention."
But that doesn't seem to have borne out in this particular case, as this latest bit of gossip about Depp has definitely not escaped social media's notice.
\u201c@TMZ *IF* this is true (big if) then good for them. He deserves to be happy. I remember her being w/him in court everyday & she would sometimes pull his stuff out of her bag & place on the desk. I thought that was sweet. At the very least she seems like a great friend.\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1663855002
\u201c@TMZ Lmao what\u2019s funny is this being news..The smear campaign will never end. I don\u2019t remember seeing a post about A.H staying w the ACLU dude after the trial..no one cared but JD moving on!? God forbid! Her fans are foaming out the mouth in these comments\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1663855002
\u201c@TMZ @Platoon19792 I had a feeling when she arrived and left with him everyday during the trial. If true, I'm happy for them both. Wish she wasn't married though.\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1663855002
\u201c@TMZ Oh well there ends my dream of him wanting a middle aged house wife from Bristol \ud83e\udd23\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1663855002
\u201c@TMZ she is just a kawyer! he is an actor they can date, she is not representing him now so no conflict if interest\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1663855002
\u201c@Naija_PR Lol, the way people were aggressively shipping both of them during the trial. \n\nI'm sure many fans are now happy.\u201d— Naija (@Naija) 1663881540
\u201cI am happy for them. The rule about dating former clients in the USA: it's ethical "once the initial attorney-client relationship has been terminated;" then it's fair game. In the UK it's even more relaxed: "As long as there is no conflict of interest." https://t.co/v1pJNmv609\u201d— Larry Forman (@Larry Forman) 1663865886
\u201c@Naija_PR If it's not Camilla Vasquez, I don't want to know who the lady is.\u201d— Naija (@Naija) 1663881540
\u201c@TheDUIGuyPlus as long as he/they aren't the reason for her divorce. I hate seeing relationships end because someone else entered the picture.\u201d— Larry Forman (@Larry Forman) 1663865886
Rich shares two children with her estranged husband. Depp also has two adult children from his previous relationship with actor Vanessa Paradis.