Johnny Depp’s attorney Camille Vasquez has become a partner at her law firm following the actor’s defamation trial win against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard.
Vasquez — a former associate at the firm Brown Rudnick, who has gained a cult following among Depp fans enthralled by the trial — was promoted on Tuesday to partner, ahead of schedule, according to a report by Law & Crime.
“We are delighted to welcome Camille to the partnership,” Brown Rudnick CEO William Baldiga said. “Historically, we have reserved this announcement for the end of our fiscal year. But Camille’s performance during the Johnny Depp trial proved to the world that she was ready to take this next step now.”
“We are incredibly proud of her and look forward to what she will accomplish as our newest partner,” Baldiga added.
Vasquez added, “I’m proud of the uniquely talented team I’ve had the privilege to lead, which exemplified teamwork and collaboration, and I look forward to continuing to represent Brown Rudnick’s culture of excellence.”
Brown Rudnick is listed among the American Lawyer’s top 200 firms in the United States.
Vasquez’s promotion comes after millions watched her grill Heard on the witness stand over her failure to donate her $7 million divorce settlement to charity, and pointed out that Heard was wearing different necklaces in photos of her allegedly bruised face that the Aquaman actress claimed were taken the same day, among other things.
Depp’s attorney then brought it home in closing arguments, imploring the jury to see the Pirates of the Caribbean star as the abuse victim, and Heard as the abuser.
“There is an abuser in this courtroom, but it is not Mr. Depp,” Vasquez told the jury during closing arguments. “And there is a victim of domestic abuse in this courtroom, but it is not Ms. Heard.”
“When Mr. Depp brought this case for defamation, Ms. Heard went all in,” Vasquez continued. “She spun a story of shocking, overwhelming, brutal abuse. She came into this courtroom prepared to give the performance of her life, and she gave it.”
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Vasquez also pointed out that Heard’s acting coach testified that the actress “has difficulty crying when she is acting.”
“You saw it: Ms. Heard sobbing without tears, while spinning elaborate, exaggerated, fantastical account of abuse,” she said. “It was a performance. She told you what she thinks you need to hear to convict this man as a domestic abuser and a rapist.”
After deliberation, the jury found for Depp on all three of his defamation claims, awarding the actor $10 million in compensatory damages, and $5 million in punitive damages. The punitive damages, however, were reduced to $350,000 to comply with Virginia law that caps punitive damages at that amount.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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