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Camille Vasquez is shutting down romance rumors surrounding Johnny Depp.
The high-profiled six-week defamation trial ended last week with the jury siding with the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor against his ex-wife Amber Heard. The star was awarded more than $10 million, vindicating his allegations that Heard lied about Depp abusing her before and during their brief marriage.
Vasquez, one of the movie star’s lead attorneys, quickly became a social media sensation during the televised trial. As many livestreamed the court case, viewers insisted that the 37-year-old was dating her client. Rumors intensified after the pair were spotted hugging in the Fairfax County Courthouse.
"I guess it comes with the territory of being a woman just doing her job," the attorney told People magazine on Thursday.
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Johnny Depp and his attorney Camille Vasquez during a break in the defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia, on May 19, 2022.
(Shawn Thew/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
"It’s disappointing that certain outlets kind of ran with it or said that my interactions with Johnny – who is a friend and I’ve known and represented for four-and-a-half years now – that my interactions in any way were inappropriate or unprofessional. That’s disappointing to hear."
"I care very deeply about my clients, and we have obviously become close," she continued. "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."
Vasquez added that "my work is my love" and "when I love, I love really deeply."
The attorney also revealed that she has a boyfriend and is "very happy in my relationship." She also emphasized that it’s "unethical for us to date our clients."
Vasquez is dating WeWork executive Edward Owen. The 38-year-old Brit met Vasquez in November at London gastropub The Cow, the U.K.’s DailyMail reported. Her nascent relationship with Owen, who lives in England, is long-distance.
Attorney Camille Vasquez embraces Johnny Depp in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Virginia, on May 17, 2022.
(Brendan Smialowski/Pool/AFP)
"It’s also an unethical charge being made," she said about the gossip involving her client. "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."
Vasquez noted that she was proud to represent Depp.
"This man was fighting for his life and it broke my heart to see him day in and day out have to sit there and listen to the most horrific allegations being made against him," she said about the 59-year-old. "And if I could provide any bit of comfort, then, of course, I would do that, whether it's holding his hand or letting him know that we were there and we were going to fight for him because he deserved it."
On Tuesday, Vasquez made partner at her law firm Brown Rudnick after scoring the major win in the actor's defamation case.
International law firm Brown Rudnick announced Vasquez's promotion after she became a star of the Depp v. Heard trial with her incisive cross-examination of the "Aquaman" actress.
"I am delighted that Brown Rudnick has given me its full vote of confidence by having me join the partnership," Vasquez said in a statement. "I’m proud of the uniquely talented team I’ve had the privilege to lead, which exemplified teamwork and collaboration, and I look forward to continuing to represent Brown Rudnick’s culture of excellence."
The verdicts ended a trial that Depp had hoped would help restore his reputation, though it turned into a spectacle that offered a window into a vicious marriage.
The seven-member panel, which sat through a bombshell, two-month trial, also awarded Heard, 36, $2 million in her counterclaim against Depp.
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Camille Vasquez makes a statement outside the Fairfax County Courthouse_on June 1, 2022.
(Getty Images)
Heard, who was stoic in the courtroom as the verdict was read, said she was heartbroken.
"I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It’s a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously," she said in a statement.
Depp said "the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled."
"I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up," he said in a statement.
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Amber Heard stands with her attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, before closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse on May 27, 2022.
(Steve Helber/Pool/ AFP)
Depp sued Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse." His lawyers said he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.
The jury found in Depp’s favor on all three of his claims relating to specific statements in the 2018 piece.
Daily Post' Rebecca Rosenberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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