Johnny Depp‘s lawyer, Camille Vasquez, has been promoted at her law firm after becoming an overnight sensation during the Depp defamation trial.
The case, which concluded last week largely in Depp’s favor, centered around rival defamation lawsuits involving the Pirates of the Caribbean star and his ex-wife, Aquaman actor Amber Heard. The jury ultimately ruled in Depp’s favor for all three of his claims against Heard, accusing her of defaming him for saying he was a domestic abuser. That same jury ruled in favor of Heard for one of her three countersuit claims.
Depp was initially awarded $15 million, but the damages were capped to $10.4 million due to restrictions in Virginia. Heard, meanwhile, received $2 million. Heard’s sole win was related to Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, claiming in the press that she staged a hoax, which the jury ultimately found defamatory.
During the trial, Depp’s lawyer Vasquez became a subject of adoration for Depp fans, to the point that some people began speculating whether she and Depp were dating. And it wasn’t just pop culture junkies who grew to admire Vasquez, as she apparently got a promotion from her trial skills being put to the test and on full display for the public to see.
Law & Crime Network correspondent Angenette Levy reported that Vasquez “has been elevated to partner” thanks to being “a key member of the litigation team that won a jury verdict last week for actor Johnny Depp,” according to her firm, Brown Rudnik.
According to a press release from the law firm’s website, they normally make announcements of this nature at the end of their fiscal year. But due to “Camille’s performance during the Johnny Depp trial,” they took that as proof to the world that she was ready to take the next step.
Vasquez said in part that she was “proud” of the opportunity to join the partnership.
“I am delighted that Brown Rudnick has given me its full vote of confidence by having me join the partnership. 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.”
Vasquez proved an unrelenting force in her cross-examination of Heard on the witness stand, at one point ostensibly giving Heard no other option other than to admit she never fulfilled pledges to charities that she previously claimed in the press to have donated. On the other hand, Depp was also cross-examined just as fiercely by Heard’s lawyer, Benjamin Rottenborn, who similarly appeared to catch Depp on the stand downplaying his past drug use.