Getty Johnny Depp stands next to his lawyer Camille Vasquez after a break in the defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 18, 2022.
Camille Vasquez Abogada is Johnny Depp’s attorney, representing him in his defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
The defamation case, which began April 11, 2022, has drawn national attention and controversy. Depp filed a lawsuit claiming Heard defamed him in an op-ed, describing herself as a survivor of domestic violence. Her legal team filed a countersuit, claiming that Depp’s assertion that her claim was a “hoax” defamed her.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Vasquez Has Drawn Attention for Her Tough Questions in Cross-Examination
Heard did not specifically claim Depp abused her in The Washington Post op-ed that resulted in the 2019 lawsuit. She called herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse,” and did not name Depp as an abuser. Still, Depp’s suit claims the article damaged his reputation and caused him to lose work.
Vasquez has drawn the public eye for her tough questioning of Heard, according to CNN. In cross-examination Tuesday, May 17, 2022, Vasquez pressed Heard on her assertion that drugs and alcohol turned Depp into a violent “monster.”
“Who was the real monster in this relationship, Ms. Heard?” Vasquez asked.
“It’s half of Johnny. It’s not all of Johnny,” Heard replied. “The other half of him is wonderful and beautiful and the man I loved.”
2. Vasquez Is Representing Depp in a $50 Million Defamation Case Against Heard
Depp, 58, filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife, Heard, 36, in 2019, and Heard filed a counter-lawsuit against Depp, saying his claim that the allegations were a “hoax” defamed her.
“I want to ensure that women who come forward to talk about violence receive more support,” Heard wrote in the piece. “We are electing representatives who know how deeply we care about these issues. We can work together to demand changes to laws and rules and social norms — and to right the imbalances that have shaped our lives.”
An Instagram page supporting Vasquez has shared a series of videos of the trial and photos of Vasquez. The page uses the hashtag “justiceforjohnnydepp,” often using hearts along with the hashtag. One photo showed Depp and Vasquez smiling at each other.
“They look good together!” one person commented, along with fire emojis.
Camille Vasquez – “You slipped up there didn’t you miss heard”
Let the church say Amen.
The trial started April 11, 2022, and resumed May 16 after a scheduled weeklong break.
3. Vasquez Is an Associate at Brown Rudnick & Specializes in Plaintiff Defamation Suits
Vasquez is based in Orange County, California and works as an associate at the Brown Rudnick Litigation & Arbitration Practice Group, according to her profile. Before joining Brown Rudnick, she worked for a national Los Angeles-based firm, her profile says. Her specialty is in representing plaintiffs in defamation suits like Depp’s case.
“Her current practice focuses on plaintiff-side defamation suits, with additional experience litigating contract disputes, business-related torts, and employment-related claims,” her profile says. “Camille is adept at formulating offensive and defensive litigation strategies for private clients. She also has extensive experience handling parallel reputation management and crisis communications issues arising from these engagements.”
Her previous cases include successfully representing a high-profile client in two breach of fiduciary cases. She has also provided media strategy advice “during high-pressure periods” and has developed strategies to help people protect their reputations, the profile says.
4. Vasquez Attended Southwestern Law School & the University of Southern California
Vasquez’s profile at Brown Rudnick says she graduated from University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in 2006, and went on to earn her juris doctor from Southwestern Law School in 2010. Vasquez is admitted to the bar in California, her profile says. Her profile says she also speaks Spanish.
Heard said on the stand at trial she would not have survived unless she divorced Depp, according to Time magazine. She described an alleged incident of domestic violence, which she said occurred on her 30th birthday. It was then that she decided to file for divorce, Heard said at the trial.
“I knew I had to leave him. I knew I wouldn’t survive if I didn’t,” she said.
Heard also described the early days of their romance, and said Depp made her feel special.
“I felt like this man knew me and saw me in a way that nobody else had,” Heard said, according to Time. “He made me feel seen, made me feel like a million dollars.”
5. Vasquez Was Named ‘One to Watch’ by Best Lawyers in 2021
Vasquez made the list of “Ones to Watch” by Best Lawyers in commercial litigation in 2021, a recognition she retains today, according to the publication.
Heard alleged at the trial her relationship with Depp turned violent when he began drinking again. She described an incident in Australia that she could only remember in “flashes,” according to Time. She said she had taken sleeping pills and remembered that she could “feel glass breaking,” claiming Depp threw bottles at her. She said she woke up the next day to find Depp “missing a finger.”
Depp alleged in his account that Heard had thrown a bottle of vodka at him, severing his finger.
Heard further claimed she feared Depp was going to hurt her sister, Whitney Henriquez, and said she hit him.
“And I swung at him,” Heard said, according to Time. “In all my relationship to date with Johnny, I hadn’t landed a blow … For the first time I hit him, like actually hit him square in the face. But he didn’t push my sister down the stairs.”
Closing arguments are expected in the case May 27, 2022, when the jury will begin its deliberations, according to Time.
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