The six-week defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is over, but that doesn’t mean the dust has settled just yet. Since the jury delivered its verdict almost two weeks ago, many of the key players in the case have been speaking out. (Depp himself joined TikTok, and his first message garnered a response from Heard.) Among those who've shared thoughts recently is one of Depp’s lawyers, Camille Vasquez, who talked about Heard not resonating with the jury. She didn’t address the specifics of the case in her latest comments, however. Instead, she responded to rumors that she’s dating the Pirates of the Caribbean actor.
These dating assumptions made the rounds across the Internet throughout a large part of the defamation trial. In May, a source told People that the rumors were “entirely, 100 percent, unequivocally untrue.” And when Camille Vasquez spoke to the trade herself, she doubled down on the claims and expressed her displeasure with them:
It's also an unethical charge being made. It's sexist. 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.
Speculation about an alleged relationship between her and Johnny Depp arguably ramped up due to footage and photos of the two hugging amid the legal proceedings. The attorney addressed that as well during the interview, saying that her tendency to be openly affectionate with her clients is just a natural part of who she is:
I care very deeply about my clients, and we have obviously become close. But when I say we, I mean the entire team, and of course that includes Johnny. And, I'm Cuban and Colombian. I'm tactile. What do you want me to say? I hug everyone. And I'm not ashamed about that.
As Camille Vasquez said, this is an “unethical” charge. There are guidelines within the legal system that reference relationships between lawyers and their clients. For instance, per California state law (via Daily Breeze), an attorney and those they represent should have a fiduciary relationship, in which the former has an obligation not to take advantage of the latter. It should be mentioned that lawyers are not specifically prohibited from getting involved with clients. But due to Rule 3-120 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct and Section 6109.9, it’s been stipulated that legal representation should cease if their services are directly hindered by a sexual relationship. In addition to shooting down this notion about herself, Vasquez has also revealed that she has a boyfriend and is “very happy in [her] relationship.”
Camille Vasquez’s life following the defamation trial would seem to indicate that Johnny Depp wasn’t the only big winner in the case. While Depp was awarded millions of dollars, Vasquez was recently named a partner at the Brown Rudnick law firm. Reports also indicate that she’s now being watched closely by talent agents, who allegedly view her as “a smart, savvy, poised attorney.” While responding to the verdict, Depp thanked his “unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping [him] to share the truth.”
It’s clear that the lawyer is on the come up, thanks to her success from the defamation trial. And if her recent comments are any indication, she’ll likely block out any noise or rumors that come her way as she continues to practice law -- and potentially take on other high-profile cases.
