Johnny Depp's lawyers posed for photos with alpacas amid the actor's dramatic trial with Amber Heard
- Johnny Depp's lawyers, Camille Vasquez and Ben Chew, posed with alpacas outside the courthouse.
- Fans have brought alpacas to the Fairfax County Circuit Court to support Depp.
- Depp, 58, is in the midst of a defamation trial with Amber Heard, 36.
Johnny Depp's lawyers posed for photos with two alpacas that have stood outside the courthouse throughout his trial with Amber Heard.
Law & Crime shared a video of Camille Vasquez and Ben Chew interacting with Depp's fans outside the Fairfax County Circuit Court on Wednesday. Among the human fans were two alpacas — Dolce and Inti — which surprised the lawyers as the animals' owners pulled them through the crowd.
Vasquez and Chew posed with animals and briefly chatted with fans before leaving the courthouse.
Representatives for Vasquez and Chew did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Andrea Diaz, the owner of My Pet Alpaca, brings the animals to the courthouse to support Depp
The Washington Post reported that the alpacas belong to Andre Diaz, the founder and owner of My Pet Alpaca. Diaz told WaPo that My Pet Alpaca, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, brings alpacas to children's homes to make them feel better. She hoped the alpacas would do the same thing for Depp.
"I thought the alpacas might brighten his day," Diaz told WaPo, adding that she knows Depp may not see the emotional support alpacas, "but I figured I would just give it a shot."
Depp, 58, is in the midst of a defamation trial with Heard, 38, after claiming her 2018 Washington Post op-ed included domestic abuse allegations that hurt his career. Depp was set to appear in "Pirates of the Caribbean 6", but Disney canned the film after the op-ed was published. In April 2019, Depp sued Heard for $50 million over the op-ed, and Heard countersued in January 2021 for $100 million. The trial began in April 2022.
There were references to alpacas during Depp and Heard's trial
Entertainment Weekly reported that alpacas played a small but recurring role in the trial. The outlet reported the alpaca references began when Heard's legal team used a quote Depp gave in a previous deposition that was never played in court.
—Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) May 19, 2022
In an effort to prove that Depp's relationship with Disney deteriorated before Heard's op-ed, her team asked Depp in April: "The fact is, Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film? Correct?"
Depp said it was true, EW reported.
Alpacas were brought up again on Thursday when one of Heard's attorney's asked Tina Newman, a Disney executive, about Depp's potential involvement in "Pirates 6."
"Is Disney aware that Mr. Depp has testified under oath that he would not take another 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise role for $300 million and a million alpacas?" Elaine Bredehoft, Heard's attorney, asked.
When Newman denied the claim, Bredehoft then asked if Disney would ever consider "paying Mr. Depp more than $300 million and providing him with more than a million alpacas to be able to obtain his services for any future 'Pirates of the Caribbean' role?"
Newman responded to the question with "no."