Johnny Depp Dating His Lawyer Joelle Rich: Reports

Johnny Depp is reportedly dating lawyer Joelle Rich, one of the attorneys who represented him in his UK libel case against The Sun, per People. A source told the outlet that the two “are dating but it’s not serious.” However, Us Weekly reported that another insider said the pair’s “chemistry is off the charts. “It’s serious between them. They are the real deal,” they added. Rich and reps for Depp did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR’s requests for comment.

Rich previously served on Depp’s legal team during his libel case against The Sun, which he ultimately lost in November 2020. But she was not among the lawyers who defended Depp in his highly publicized defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard earlier this year, though she did make a handful of court appearances with the actor in Fairfax County, VA.

On June 1, Virginia’s Fairfax County Circuit Court found Heard liable for defamation against Depp, which prompted a jury to award the latter $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, NBC News reported. However, jurors also found Depp liable for defamation, and so Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages. Following the trial, the two issued individual statements on social media acknowledging the outcome of the case.

Since then, Depp has been attached to two Hollywood projects: a biopic about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, which he’ll direct, and a French period drama titled “Jeanne du Barry,” where he’ll portray King Louis XV — making it Depp’s first film role in three years. He also recently made a surprise appearance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards as a moon person.