Johnny Depp Reportedly Dating Lawyer From Amber Heard UK Libel Trial

As first reported by Us Weekly, the 59-year-old actor is dating Joelle Rich, who was one of the lawyers that represented Depp in his 2020 UK libel case against The Sun. The lawsuit stemmed from an article that dubbed him a "wife-beater" in reference to his former marriage to Amber Heard, though he ultimately lost the case and his subsequent appeal. That said, a source told the tabloid that Rich still showed up in the courtroom for Depp's recent defamation trial in the US against Heard despite there being "no professional obligation for her being there."

"It was personal,” they said, explaining that she was merely there to "support" the Pirates of the Caribbean alum. The insider also went on to say that while the London-based attorney was still married when she first met Deep, she is currently in the process of getting divorced from her estranged husband and would "discreetly" meet up with her former client in hotels at the start of their relationship.

“Their chemistry is off the charts,” they added. “It’s serious between them. They are the real deal.”

Depp's new romance comes on the heels of his US defamation suit against Heard, who said she was the victim of domestic violence in a 2018 op-ed for the Washington Post. In June, the jury ultimately ruled in favor of the actor's three defamation claims and ordered the 36-year-old Aquaman star to pay him $10.35 million in damages, though she was also given $2 million after an attorney for Depp made a defamatory statement about her. However, Heard later commented on the verdict in a statement posted to Instagram, writing that "the disappointment I feel today is beyond words."

She went on to add, “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.”

Neither Depp nor Rich have commented on the report. In the meantime, you can read what Us Weekly has to say about the rumored relationship here.

Photo via Getty / Atsushi Tomura