Johnny Depp is dating attorney Joelle Rich, who assisted him in his libel case against The Sun in the United Kingdom.
“Their chemistry is off the charts,” an insider exclusively tells Us of the Pirates of the Caribbean star, 59, and the attorney. “It’s serious between them. They are the real deal.”
However, Rich was not a member of the legal team that represented Depp in his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard earlier this year. Rich was one of the attorneys who worked on Depp’s lawsuit against the U.K. newspaper after he sued the publication for libel in 2018. Nevertheless, she was there in the Virginia courtroom to “support” the nominee.
She was not required to be there for work purposes. It was personal,” the insider told Us, adding that in the beginning of their relationship, the couple “discreetly” met up in hotels.
Rich was married when she met Depp, according to the insider, but she is currently divorcing him. She has two children with her ex-spouse.
Rumors about the Hollywood Vampires artist dating a different lawyer during his defamation trial against Heard, 36, circulated. Camille Vasquez was one of the lawyers he was represented by in that case. The 38-year-old Southwestern Law School alumna then denounced “sexist” rumours regarding her relationship with Depp.
“It’s also an unethical charge being made,” Vasquez told People in June. “It’s unfortunate and it’s disappointing, but at the same time it kind of comes with the territory. I can’t say I was all that surprised.”
The marriage between Depp and Heard, which dissolved in 2017, was the focus of two different lawsuits brought by the Secret Window star. The Kentucky native filed a lawsuit against The Sun for the first time in June 2018 after the publication called him a “wife beater” in a piece about his participation in the Fantastic Beasts film series. Prior to her 2016 breakup with Depp, Heard allegedly made many complaints of abuse, which were cited in the story.
Who is Joelle Rich?
In his libel case against the British tabloid The Sun, Depp was represented by Joelle Rich of Schillings Partners in the UK.
Famously, Depp’s libel case against the newspaper, which referred to the actor as a “wife beater” in relation to the domestic abuse claims Heard had made against him during their 2016 divorce proceedings, was unsuccessful.
According to her company biography, Rich is a partner at the law firm Schillings and helps famous people and their families safeguard their reputations both inside and outside of the courtroom.
The attorney has more than a “decade of experience in media law” and “special skill in safeguarding persons’ privacy from undue intrusion and media attention.”
According to reports, Rich also defended Meghan Markle in her legal battle with the Mail on Sunday.
In 2018, the publication’s publisher was sued by the Duchess of Sussex for violating her privacy by publishing a personal letter she had written to her father, Thomas Markle.
In and out of the courtroom, Joelle assists famous people and their families in preserving their reputations and privacy. Joelle frequently represents her clients in crisis situations and works to protect their reputations from false and defamatory claims made in print, online, and on social media. She specialises in shielding people’s privacy from inappropriate prying eyes and media attention. Joelle has over ten years of experience in media law and is adept at spotting threats to her clients’ reputation and privacy and developing methods to protect them.
She recently worked on a team that won a significant privacy and copyright case in the public eye and oversaw a recent high-profile libel action. She has a plethora of experience in libel, privacy, and copyright conflicts. Joelle is a highly skilled litigator who seeks to protect her clients from unwarranted intrusion in their personal or professional lives by using the law.
Joelle was recognised with a Silver award for the “Future Leader Initiative of the Year” at the Citywealth Future Leaders 2021 awards and was also a finalist for the Spear’s Wealth Management Awards 2021’s “Future Leader in Private Client Services.”
