Attorney Camille Vasquez rose to fame after the Johnny Depp trial and has now scored another major win for celebrity client Yellowstone actress Q’orianka Kilcher.
Kilcher, 33, was charged with two felony counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud for illegally collecting $96,000 in disability benefits after obtaining an injury on the set of Dora.
But Vasquez and fellow attorney Steve Cook announced on Friday that the charges had been dropped by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
‘After the charges were filed, the Workers Compensation Insurance claims adjuster retroactively changed his conclusion regarding her ability to work,’ the DA’s Office said in a statement. ‘We, therefore, determined that Ms. Kilcher did not commit insurance fraud and advised the court that we were unable to proceed.’
The attorneys celebrated the win as a ‘true victory’ and said they were ‘gratified that Ms. Kilcher’s innocence has been vindicated’, Vulture reports.
‘The truth is that the California Department of Insurance should never have brought this case, and Ms. Kilcher should never have been subjected to this ordeal, they added.
Camille Vasquez (right) rose to fame after the Johnny Depp trial and has now scored another major win for celebrity client Q’orianka Kilcher
Kilcher, 33, was charged with two felony counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud for illegally collecting $96,000 in disability benefits after obtaining an injury on the set of Dora. From 2019 through 2021, Kilcher received $96,838 in temporary disability benefits
‘Having been cleared, Ms. Kilcher is excited to move forward and devote her attention to her flourishing career.’
Kilcher also said in a statement that she wishes to use her experience to help others in similar situations, writing: ‘Today, I am beyond grateful that my case has been dismissed – tomorrow my journey begins to help raise awareness and demand more transparency for worker’s rights within the worker’s comp system.
‘I want to thank my attorneys, Camille Vasquez and Steve Cook, for their steadfast belief in my innocence.’
While working on the movie Dora in October 2018, Kilcher allegedly injured her neck and right shoulder, the insurance department said.
Vasquez and fellow attorney Steve Cook announced on Friday that the charges had been dropped by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The lawyers said: ‘The truth is that the California Department of Insurance should never have brought this case, and Ms. Kilcher should never have been subjected to this ordeal’ (pictured: Kilcher in Dora)
A year later, Kilcher told a doctor handling the insurance claim that she had been offered work but couldn’t take it because of severe neck pain from her injury, according to the insurance department’s statement.
Between 2019 and 2021, Kilcher then received $96,838 in temporary disability benefits.
An investigation later discovered that Kilcher had worked on ‘Yellowstone’ for several months in 2019, during the period she claimed to be disabled, the department said.
‘According to records, she returned to the doctor and started receiving disability benefits five days after last working on the show,’ the statement said.
Vazquez gained notoriety for helping Johnny Depp win his defamation case against ex-girlfriend Amber Heard
Fans started to wonder if romantic feelings had developed between Depp and Vasquez during the trial, after they noticed a slew of flirty interactions between the two
Kilcher rose to stardom at the age of 15 in 2005 when she starred as Pocahontas in the award-nominated film ‘The New World.’
She went on to star in the film ‘The Power of Few’ before landing a title role in the 2009 feature ‘Princess Kaiulani,’ where she portrayed the princess during the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.
Kilcher also starred in ‘Neverland,’ and in ‘Firelight.’
Vasquez, 38, became an internet sensation while representing Johnny Depp during his trial against ex-wife Amber Heard last year.
She helped land a victory for the actor, 59, in his highly publicized $100 million defamation case against Heard, 36, and was wildly popular among social media users thanks to her bold behavior in the courtroom and personal chemistry with her famous client.
She has since been hired by NBC as on-air legal analyst for the TV network. But she is reportedly unpopular with her new co-workers, who question how the network found the money to pay the celebrity attorney when it is laying off other members of staff.