During the six-week defamation trial between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, one of Depp’s lawyers, Camille Vasquez, became a focus for some social media users, primarily for her talents in the courtroom but also because of the baseless rumors that she and her famous client were dating.
“I guess it comes with the territory of being a woman just doing her job,” Vasquez told People magazine in a recent interview. “It’s disappointing that certain outlets kind of ran with it or said that my interactions with Johnny…in any way were inappropriate or unprofessional. It’s also an unethical charge being made. It’s sexist.”
Some videos circulating the internet include footage of Depp and Vasquez sharing a laugh in the courtroom, innocently touching each other’s hands, smiling at one another, and hugging.
“I’m Cuban and Colombian,” Vasquez said. “I’m tactile. What do you want me to say? I hug everyone. And I’m not ashamed about that.”
And nor should she be. Vasquez, who has a boyfriend, explained that touching Depp during the trial was something that she did to reassure him that his entire team was in his corner no matter how ugly things got in the courtroom.
“This man was fighting for his life, and it broke my heart to see him day in and day out have to sit there and listen to the most horrific allegations being made against him,” she claimed. “And if I could provide any bit of comfort, then, of course, I would do that, whether it’s holding his hand or letting him know that we were there and we were going to fight for him because he deserved it.”
Vasquez added: “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 was recently promoted to partner at her law firm.