Johnny Depp is in love again and the new woman in her life is a lawyer. Depp, reportedly, is dating London-based lawyer Joelle Rich who represented him in his U.K. libel lawsuit against The Sun, according to Us Weekly. Rich defended the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, who ultimately lost in a UK trial against The Sun in 2018.
According to reports, the stunning-looking lawyer is currently separated and her divorce may not have been finalized yet. Earlier this summer, Depp, 59, ignited romance rumors with Camille Vasquez, another lawyer who defended the actor in his US defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Love Is in the Air Again
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. "Their chemistry is off the charts," an insider told UsWeekly, who first broke the story. "It's serious between them. They are the real deal."
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. Nevertheless, she was there in the Virginia courtroom during the much-hyped trial.
Rich had "no professional obligation for being" in the courtroom with him, the site added, but she was present to show her "support" for Depp, who reportedly were already dating at that time.
Rich should not be confused with Camille Vasquez, a 38-year-old attractive brunette lawyer who was a member of Depp's team for the Heard defamation case. At that time reports came out that Depp was dating Vasquez. However, Vasquez promptly put an end to the rumors, calling them "sexist" and "unethical."
"I care very deeply about my clients, and we have obviously become close," she told People in June. "But when I say we, I mean the entire team, and of course that includes Johnny."
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor had been Vasquez's buddy and client for four and a half years, she said.
In Love with His Lawyer
It is unclear when the relationship began. Reps for Depp could not be reached for comment. According to Us Weekly, their relationship started "discreetly" as both Depp and Rich avoided crowded restaurants, where their relationship would have been discovered. So they used to go on dates at hotels.
Rich and her husband are still legally married, but they are temporarily separated. According to TMZ, the stunning brunette is in the middle of getting divorced. She has two children with her ex-husband.
Rich and Depp were spotted together in May during the actor's trial with Heard, with whom he made the movie The Rum Diaries. Rich and Depp at that time were seen chatting in Virginia.
In her biography online it says she "works to defend [clients'] reputations against false and defamatory allegations in print, online, and on social media."
Her focus is to guard clients' "privacy from unwarranted intrusion and media attention."
The marriage between Depp and Heard, which ended 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 an article 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.
The trial took place in July 2020, but four months later the UK's High Court of Justice determined that The Sun's article was not defamatory. Rich claimed that she "seriously questioned" the judgment of the British judge adding that her client was looking forward to "presenting the complete, irrefutable evidence of the truth in the U.S. libel case against Ms. Heard where she will have to provide full disclosure."
