Heard, in response, sued Depp for $ 100 million for allegations by his former lawyer that he was engaging in an “abuse scam.” He also argues that it was Depp’s own behavior, fueled by drugs and alcohol, that led to his death.
In this video screenshot, Amber Heard, right, reacts as the verdict is read in the Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia. Credit: AP
While celebrity claims may be intriguing at best, this case had all the elements of a toxic soap opera: two abandoned exes trying to convince a jury that they were the victim and the other the aggressor; witness list that includes billionaire businessman Elon Musk, actor James Franco and supermodel Kate Moss; and sordid evidence: from photos of feces placed on Depp’s bed as an act of revenge by Heard, to audio of Depp vomiting violently as he came down from a cocktail of drugs and alcohol.
Of the many confrontational moments in the trial, one of the most vile came in the form of a 2013 text message from Depp to his friend, the British actor Paul Bettany, where Depp wrote: “Let’s burn Amber !!!” Bettany replied, “Having thought it through, I don’t think we should burn Amber.”
Then Depp sent a text message: “Let’s drown her before she’s burned !!! Then I’ll … burn her corpse to make sure she’s dead.
What made the case more surreal, though, was the setting.
Most days, the Fairfax County Courthouse is an otherwise incident-free legal precinct hidden in a quiet corner of northern Virginia, about 40 minutes from the country’s capital.
Johnny Depp’s lawyer, Ben Chew, is in the courtroom during the jury’s deliberations. Credit: AP
But for the past six weeks, viewers, mostly Depp fans, had lined up long before sunrise to see the couple or get a bracelet that secured one of the coveted 5J display seats in the room.
This was also the story of two trials: one decided by a jury and another by the public opinion tribunal.
From the start, it was clear that most of the online traffic was on Johnny Depp’s side and he suspected Heard.
This came despite the fact that much of the central evidence in the trial had been issued in court two years ago, when Depp sued The Sun for calling him a “women’s hitter”. The judge in this case ruled that Heard’s allegations of abuse were “substantially true.”
Out of court, Depp’s fans began meeting shortly after 2 p.m. when he announced that the jury had made a decision. At 3:01 p.m., the jury arrived with a verdict, only to be sent back by Judge Penney Azcarate after he realized they had not written the amount of the damage on the verdict form.
They returned about 15 minutes later, siding with Depp on all matters, including the legal threshold Heard had “maliciously acted” in writing the opinion piece. The jury awarded Depp $ 15 million in damages, including $ 5 million in punitive damages, but also awarded Heard $ 2 million in retaliation.
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