During a break in the proceedings of his Virginia civil suit with Amber Heard, Johnny Depp and Joelle Rich socialize. Image: Getty Images/Consolidated News Pics
Johnny Depp has been confidently making his way back into the public glare ever since he won his libel case against Amber Heard, his ex-wife who accused him of molestation. Reports that he is dating Joelle Rich, a London-based attorney who previously defended him in a similar defamation lawsuit in the UK, are the most recent development in his return tour.
Much of the same information was presented in Depp’s UK case against a UK newspaper company after one of their pieces referred to him as a “wife beater,” but the outcome was different. Between court sessions, Depp seems to have found time to meet with one of his lawyers. It’s not clear when he and Rich started dating, but Page Six says she is separated from her husband and is in the process of getting a divorce. A source claims they were having “discrete” connections at hotels when they first started seeing each other. Rich also appears to have been present at Depp’s US trial, albeit not in a professional capacity. Us claims their relationship is “serious”.
Rich isn’t the lawyer you might have expected Depp to be in a romantic relationship with. A flurry of rumors during his US trial said he was dating Camille Vasquez, his lead US attorney. Vasquez denied the rumors, calling them “sexist” and saying that the idea of her dating Depp was an “unethical charge” but “comes with the territory” of being a lawyer. She seems friendly enough with Rich – they were pictured hugging after the Virginia jury’s verdict was read. Sounds like Depp will have a robust support team behind him as he takes on his many upcoming jobs.
