Johnny Depp’s lawyer now has cult following after her tough questioning of Amber Heard

Johnny Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez gained a cult following after she cross-examined his ex-wife Amber Heard in the Virginia civil defamation trial.

Following several days on the stand and addressing disturbing sexual and physical violence allegations against The Pirates of the Caribbean actor, Heard was met with a counter-attack by Vasquez on Monday (16) and Tuesday (17 May).

But Vasquez hit back by accusing the Aquaman actress of fabricating claims of sexual assault, verbally abusing her ex-husband on many occasions, being "jealous" of him, and editing a photo of herself with a red mark on her face from May 2016.

The cross-examination was also marked by numerous tense moments between Vasquez and Heard, such as angry remarks from both women, objections from the actress' legal team, and more.

However, despite the courtroom drama being interesting, there is something else that is more fascinating - the massive following gained by Vasquez by Depp's fans within hours.

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"Ladies and Gentlemen, Camille Vasquez! She's BRILLIANT! Johnny has the best team! And he deserves it!" one person wrote on Twitter.

"Incredible to see #CamilleVazquez absolutely killing it on cross, I am sure that she is inspiring so many young people, especially young women, to be an amazing lawyer like she is. Hell, I want to be a lawyer now after watching her #JohnnyDeppVsAmberHeardTrial," another added.

Someone else referenced Vasquez and Depp laughing and hugging each other after Heard stepped down from the stand on Tuesday afternoon.

"This hug is so powerful. He's so grateful to have a strong women rooting and defending him. #Deppvsheard #CamilleVazquez #IStandWithJohnyDepp," they wrote.

Some women who defend famous men who are accused of sexual misconduct tend to be criticised on the internet. But with the amount of praise Vasquez received, that doesn't appear to be the case.

"Johnny Depp is winning on social media—so his lawyer is doing the same," Juda Engelmayer, a crisis PR expert, told the Daily Beast.

"Camille Vasquez seems to have benefited from Johnny's praise."

In the eyes of Depp fans, the actor has already won his $50m defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife following her 2018 Washington Post op-ed.

Heard has countersued Depp for $100m and is claiming defamation after at least one of his former attorneys suggested her account of a pattern of abuse was a "hoax."

Depp has not been charged with any sex crimes, and has said that he himself is the victim of domestic iolence by Heard.

"There's been an ongoing smear campaign, an orchestrated smear campaign," Heard said to Vasquez on the stand.

"An ongoing negative publicity campaign? You have no evidence of that," Vasquez shot back, to which Heard responded: "Just look me up, you'll see."

Halim Dhanidina, who is a criminal defense attorney and former California judge, also spoke with the Daily Beast and said that the online wonder around Vasquez highlights the "theatrical nature" of the trial and not necessarily the intentions of people making decisions for the case.

"It's hard to know whether public reaction online is the same that individual jurors are having," Dhanidina told the outlet.

He also said the newfound stardom on social media for Depp's team may impact not only the jury's perception but also effects Heard and her legal team.

"It's an uphill battle for Amber Heard because the public is not liking you—and even likes Johnny Depp's lawyer more," he said.

Indy100 reached out to Vasquez for comment.

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