During Johnny Depp’s recent legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, rumors rumbled around that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor was perhaps dating one of his lawyers, Camille Vasquez. While Vasquez recently squashed those headlines, not calling only “untrue” but “sexist” allegations, word is Depp is dating another member of his legal team.
The actor is reportedly in a relationship with Joelle Rich, one of his lawyers from his U.K. libel case, which ended back in 2020. A source told People the pair are an item, but “it’s not serious.” Here is an image of Depp and Rich, taken on May 3, 2022:
Before People allegedly confirmed the relationship, Us Weekly reported on the relationship first hours earlier, claiming that their “chemistry is off the charts,” and that things are “serious” between them. Joelle Rich was reportedly married when she met Johnny Depp, but is now in the process of divorcing her husband, with whom she shares two children.
Now, Joelle Rich was not on Johnny Depp’s legal team in the Virginia defamation case that occurred from April 11 to June 1, 2022, which ultimately ruled in favor of Depp, finding Amber Heard guilty on three counts and Depp guilty on one count in her countersuit. Rich is a London-based lawyer who was part of his team in the U.K. based libel case against The Sun for calling Depp a “wife-beater.”
That particular case did not end in Depp’s favor, with the court finding that the outlet’s claims were “substantially true.” It resulted in the actor departing from his role as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise shortly after. However, Joelle Rich was not part of the high-profile defamation case he ultimately won, though she did visit the Virginia courthouse on several occasions, with the above photo being taken outside it back in May.
While it would be unethical for Johnny Depp to date the lawyer he was working with, it doesn’t seem like that’s been the case with him and Joelle Rich. Given he had a different legal team for the high-profile Virginia case, it seems as though Rich’s visits to the courtroom were purely out of “support” and for personal reasons.
While the internet thought Johnny Depp and Camille Vasquez were the actor-lawyer item, the pair are keeping it professional, and set to work together again for a case regarding assault allegations on his film City Of Lies in 2017. Vasquez will defend Depp in court once again following their victory in the Amber Heard defamation case.
In the meantime, Johnny Depp is back to acting in the French film La Favorite, where he’ll play King Louis XV. The movie will be available to watch with a Netflix subscription once the movie that is filming in France is ready to be released.