Johnny Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez has described romance rumours between the pair as 'unfortunate and disappointing'.
The 37-year old, who successfully defended Depp in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, said she is sick and tired of the hearsay, but admitted it 'comes with the territory of a woman carrying out her job'.
Ms Vasquez, who has a boyfriend with whom she says she is 'very happy', said such accusations are sexist, adding that it is 'unethical to date clients', regardless.
"It's disappointing that certain outlets kind of ran with it or said that my interactions with Johnny - who is a friend and I've known and represented for four-and-a-half years now - that my interactions in any way were inappropriate or unprofessional. That's disappointing to hear," she told People.
The Californian was inadvertently cast into the international spotlight during her cross-examination of Heard, almost becoming a star in her own right thanks to her sharp style in the courtroom.
She has since been elevated to partner at her firm Brown Rudnick as result of her efforts in the trial.
Unfortunately images of the attorney embracing Depp following the victory have done little to dispel those rumours, but she explains: "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. I'm Cuban and Colombian. I'm tactile. What do you want me to say? I hug everyone. And I'm not ashamed about that."
She continued: "This man was fighting for his life and it broke my heart to see him day in and day out having to sit there and listen to the most horrific allegations being made against him. 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 gong to fight for him because he deserved it."
A clip of Ms Vasquez, meanwhile, has gone viral on TikTok amassing a staggering 38 million views in two weeks.
The two minute long video sees the lawyer repeatedly shut down Heard's own defence with the word 'objection'.
Following the trial's conclusion Heard's team claimed the jury was influenced by the support shown to Depp all over social media - including TikTok.
Ms Vasquez's colleague Ben Chew, however, refuted such claims insisting it "played no role whatsoever" and that the jury reached the verdict purely based on the evidence presented by both sides.
And Ms Vasquez weighed in on the matter herself adding that the #MeToo movement was ignored by the verdict in Johnny's favour.
She said: "We encourage any victim to come forward. Domestic violence doesn't have a gender.
"The facts are what they were. The jury made a unanimous decision based on those facts."
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