Johnny Depp's lawyers suggest he may waive the $10.4 million awarded to him

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By Carina Murphy

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Johnny Depp's attorneys have suggested that he may not collect the $10.4 million that jurors awarded him in his lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.

During an appearance on Good Morning America on Wednesday, the Hollywood star's lawyers suggested that he was satisfied knowing he had won the case and cleared his name - and that the money was unimportant.

During the interview, host George Stephanopoulos asked attorneys Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez about Heard's intention to appeal the verdict after her own lawyer said she could "absolutely not" pay the damages.

Stephanopoulos asked: "Is it possible we can see a settlement where [Heard] forgoes the appeal in return for Mr. Depp waiving any monetary damages?"

In response, Chew told the GMA anchor: "We obviously can’t disclose attorney-client communications, but as Mr. Depp testified… this was never about money for Mr. Depp."

"This was about restoring his reputation — and he’s done that," he continued, adding that: "It was a total win for Johnny."

Meanwhile, Vasquez addressed how Heard's team framed the trial's outcome as a blow to women's rights and the #MeToo movement.

"I think it's disappointing," Vasquez said, adding: "We encourage any victims to come forward; domestic violence doesn’t have a gender."

She went on to say that the Aquaman star lost the case because the evidence was in Depp's favor. "The key to victory was focusing on the facts and the evidence, and Johnny’s opportunity to speak the truth for the first time," Vasquez told anchors, adding: "We believe that evidence speaks for itself [...] The jury made a unanimous decision based on those facts."

Chew agreed that Depp won over the jury and fans outside the courtroom by speaking frankly about his toxic marriage to Heard and taking accountability for his actions.

"Johnny owned his issues. He was very candid about his alcohol and drug issues. He was candid about some unfortunate texts that he wrote," he said.

Meanwhile, both lawyers relayed that their client was overcome with joy at the result of the trial.

"I was speaking with another friend of ours, a mutual friend of Johnny’s and ours, and he said, 'I haven’t seen Johnny smile like that in six years,'" Vasquez said, while Chew added that the Pirates of the Caribbean star is "over the moon."

"The weight of the world is off his shoulders. He’s got his life back," he told anchors.

Featured Image Credit: REUTERS / Alamy