Camille Vasquezis speaking out about why her clientJohnny Deppfiledan appeal in responseto exAmber Heard’s own appeal, followinghis June 1 defamation-trial winagainst her.
After Heard, 36,filed a notice of appealwith the Virginia Court of Appeals on July 21, 59-year-old Depp filedhis own notice of appealthe following day, seeking to overturn the $2 million verdict in Heard’s countersuit.
In a conversation withGayle Kingthat aired Thursday onCBS Mornings, Vasquez said Heard’s appeal “was expected” from Depp’s legal team, as theAquamanactress has “indicated, since the day she lost the trial,that she was going to appeal.”
“Mr. Depp ended up filing his own appeal, so that the court could have the full record,” she explained. “And [Heard] insists on continuing to litigate this matter, and we have to protect our client’s interest.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Amber Heard (L); Camille Vasquez and Johnny Depp.JIM WATSON/POOL/AFP via Getty; SHAWN THEW/POOL/AFP via Getty
King then asked the attorney, “How do you heal and move on when both sides are still in court arguing?”
For more on Camille Vasquez, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
“It’s pretty standard legal procedure,” said Vasquez. “We just are hopeful that the court will uphold the verdict, which we think was the right verdict, andallow both parties to move on.”
Asked whether it’s safe to say “if [Heard] hadn’t appealed, you all would not have appealed either,” Vasquez responded, “Yes. That’s a very fair statement.”
“This was never about the money for Mr. Depp,” she also said during the interview. “But in order to protect his interests, as his representative, we have to respond to the appeal with his own appeal.”
RELATED VIDEO: Amber Heard Asks for Mistrial in Johnny Depp Defamation Case After an Alleged Juror Mix-Up
A source close to Depp told PEOPLE last week that it wasan “overwhelmingly positive verdict"for thePirates of the Caribbeanactor, who “believes that this is a time for both parties to move on with their lives and heal.”
Earlier this month, Judge Penney Azcaratedenied Heard’s request for a mistrial. In a statement about moving forward with the appeal — which will require Heard to post a bond of the full damages amount she owes — a spokesperson for Heard said they “believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment.”
“We are therefore appealing the verdict,” they added. “While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.”
Reps for Heard have not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment about Depp’s counter-appeal.
source: people.com
