Johnny Depp Relationship Lawyer Joelle Nicely off from His U.K. Libel Trial ‘Nonetheless Or now not it’s Now not Serious’: Source

Johnny Depp is relationship one of many attorneys from his U.K. libel case, Joelle Nicely off, a source confirms to PEOPLE.

“They are relationship but it’s now not serious,” the source says.

Nicely off is a London lawyer who became as soon as on 59-yr-feeble Depp’s appropriate group at some level of his libel case against The Solar, which he lost in November 2020. He sued the newspaper for calling him a “wife-beater,” but the court upheld the outlet’s claims as being “seriously proper” and his ex-wife Amber Heard testified to encourage up the claims. In March 2021, his strive to overturn the option became as soon as overruled.

Depp’s unique romantic passion became as soon as now not among his lawyers on this yr’s defamation case against Heard, 36, that became as soon as in Fairfax County, Virginia. He won that case; a jury chanced on that Heard defamed him in her 2018 Washington Put up op-ed about home violence, even supposing she didn’t level out him by title. Depp became as soon as awarded greater than $10 million in damages, and Heard, in the intervening time, won one of her three defamation countersuit claims and became as soon as awarded $2 million. (They are each appealing the verdicts.)

Even though Nicely off became as soon as now not on Depp’s appropriate group this time, she did win several court appearances to display conceal enhance. She became as soon as photographed with Depp exterior of the courthouse on May per chance 3, and he or she became as soon as pictured hugging Depp’s licensed expert Camille Vasquez proper by way of the court docket on May per chance 16.

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In step with her bio, Nicely off “helps members and families in the final public witness provide protection to their privateness and reputations” and has “expertise in libel, privateness and copyright disputes.” She “works to defend [clients’] reputations against untrue and defamatory allegations in print, on-line and on social media.” Her firm represented Meghan Markle in a case against the publishers of the Mail on Sunday closing yr to boot.

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There might well be been speculation about Depp’s romantic life ever since the extremely-publicized Virginia defamation case earlier this yr. Of us on social media started a rumor that his lawyer Vasquez became as soon as relationship the movie-star shopper — which she denied and called “sexist” in an interview with PEOPLE.

Joelle Nicely off and Johnny Depp on May per chance 3, 2022.
Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty

“I guess it comes with the territory of being a girl proper doing her job,” talked about Vasquez. “Or now not it’s disappointing that sure retailers roughly ran with it or talked about that my interactions with Johnny — who is a pal and I’ve known and represented for four-and-a-half years now — that my interactions in any formulation possess been execrable or unprofessional. That’s disappointing to listen to.”

Joelle Nicely off hugs Camille Vasquez on May per chance 16, 2022.
STEVE HELBER/POOL/AFP by job of Getty

“I care very deeply about my clients, and we possess clearly change into stop. Nonetheless after I inform we, I imply the entire group, and naturally that involves Johnny,” added Vasquez. “And, I’m Cuban and Colombian. I’m tactile. What win you capture to possess me to advise? I hug all people. And I’m now not ashamed about that.”

Then, when Depp became as soon as photographed in Italy serving to a thriller girl with her score as they exited a automobile and he headed to music rehearsals in July, followers speculated it might well well really well additionally merely be a doable unique relationship. A source stop to Depp clarified to PEOPLE, nonetheless, that she became as soon as Depp’s French trainer for his upcoming movie Jeanne du Barry and that there became as soon as “no romantic connection whatsoever; strictly expert.”