Who is Joelle Rich? Johnny Depp reportedly dating married lawyer who worked on his UK libel case
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star Johnny Depp has found a new love in lawyer Joelle Rich. The couple has been dating for a while now and things are "quite serious," according to US Weekly. “It’s serious between them. They are the real deal. Their chemistry is off the charts,” shared an insider.
Rich was not the member of the legal team that represented Johnny Depp in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, however, she was involved during the 2018 case, when the star sued The Sun outlet, for libel. Speculations were rife when Rich showed up in the Virginia courtroom, to stand by Depp. She was also captured by paparazzi outside the courtroom on May 3, and was seen hugging Depp’s attorney Camille Vasquez inside the court after he won one of the defamation cases against Heard.
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A source told Us, “There was no professional obligation for her being there. It was personal.” And added that the pair had been "discreetly" seeing each other in hotels when their affair began. Rich is a London-based lawyer, who had worked on many high-profile cases, including representing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, involving a lawsuit against publishers of the Mail on Sunday. The 37-year-old lawyer has two children, and has been separated from her husband Jonathan Rich. The couple are yet to finalize their divorce.
As per Rich's lawfirm Schillings website, her bio says, “helps individuals and families in the public eye protect their privacy and reputations" and has "expertise in libel, privacy, and copyright disputes." It also read, “works to defend [clients'] reputations against false and defamatory allegations in print, online and on social media."
The ’Edward Scissorhands' star was earlier linked with his attorney Vasquez, but she denied the rumors. In an interview with People magazine, she called such allegations "sexist." "I care very deeply about my clients, and we have obviously become close. But when I say we, I mean the entire team, and of course that includes Johnny. Vasquez further said, “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."