Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s lawyers present final arguments in the couple’s defamation case on Friday, May 27, 2022. (Photos: Getty Images)
Johnny Depp abused Amber Heard more than a dozen times during their four-year relationship. Or, the 36-year-old actress orchestrated this deception to extort Depp during her troubled 2016 divorce and “ruin” him for abandoning her. That’s part of what a jury will have to decide when deliberations in the couple’s defamation trial begin: there’s little middle ground in the case, he said, he said.
On Friday, the sixth anniversary of Heard’s request for a temporary restraining order, the plaintiffs were in a Virginia courtroom awaiting the claim. Each side offered closing arguments to the jury to close a seven-week media circus. Depp’s famous Internet lawyer Camille Vasquez, who handled Heard’s harsh interrogations, was the first to make final comments. She begged the jury to “bring Mr. Depp back to life” and “hold Ms. Heard responsible for his lies.”
“[Heard] she ruined her life by falsely telling the world that she is a survivor of domestic abuse at the hands of Mr. Depp, “Vásquez said.” There’s an abuser in this room and it’s not Mr. Depp “.
Depp sued Heard for $ 50 million in a 2018 opinion piece he wrote in the Washington Post about surviving violence and sexual abuse. Specifically, the actor claims that three statements he made are defamatory, as he is firm in his claim that he never abused the actress.
Vásquez said it was the Pirates of the Caribbean star who suffered “persistent verbal, physical and emotional abuse by Ms. Heard during their relationship.” He described the actress as “a deeply troubled person, with a violent fear of abandonment” and that Heard “was violent, abusive and cruel”. Vasquez played audio clips in which Heard admits to hitting Depp. In another, Heard appears to be mocking her ex because no one would believe she is a victim of domestic abuse.
Vasquez claimed that Heard did a performance in court, but not a good one. He quoted the Aquaman star performance coach as saying that Heard had difficulty pretending to cry. “Mrs. Heard is crying [on the stand] no tears … it was a performance.
The story goes on
“Either Mr Depp sexually assaulted Mrs Heard with a bottle in Australia, or Mrs Heard stood up in front of all of you and made up that horrible story of abuse,” Vasquez continued. “Either she’s the victim of a horrible abuse, or she’s a woman who is willing to say absolutely anything.”
Actor Johnny Depp and his lawyer Camille Vasquez are watching Depp’s defamation case against ex-wife, actor Amber Heard. (Photo: Reuters)
Depp’s lawyer, Ben Chew, spoke after Vasquez about the damage the actor suffered as a result of Heard’s “defamatory” comments: “Mr. Depp was canceled because Miss Heard left him. falsely accusing of domestic violence.
“This is ‘#MeToo’ without any ‘#MeToo,'” he said. “No woman, before Amber Heard, ever claimed that Mr. Depp raised his hand at the age of 58.”
Chew explained to the jury why his statements to the publisher are defamatory, and noted that the implications are “clear” that he is referring to Depp, although the actress never mentioned him by name in the article. .
While Depp is entitled to monetary damages, according to Chew, this is not what the actor cares about.
“This case, at least for Mr. Depp, has never been about money. It is also not about punishing Mrs. Heard. It is about Mr. Depp’s reputation and releasing him from the prison where he has lived for the last six years. years”. He said. “Six years a day.”
A source close to Heard told Yahoo Entertainment: “We’ve been watching the clock back for women in court. Depp’s team has tried to divert the jury’s attention to look at sensational and salacious things, anything but what is this case. about: Freedom of expression. We hope the jury is not distracted by noise and nonsense. “
After unsuccessfully dismissing Depp’s defamation suit, Heard sued the plaintiff for $ 100 million for statements his lawyer, Adam Waldman, made to the media in 2020. Waldman called Heard a liar and he acted on Depp’s behalf as an “attack dog,” the actress’. the lawyer argued.
Ben Rottenborn first addressed the jury on behalf of Heard and wasted no time in searching for Depp and the actor’s legal team.
“To try to convince you that Mr. Depp has brought his burden of proof to prove that he was never abusive with Amber not even on one occasion, think about the message that Mr. Depp and his lawyers are sending to Amber and, by extension, to all victims of domestic abuse everywhere, ”Rottenborn began.
“If you didn’t take pictures, it didn’t happen. If you took pictures, they’re fake. If you didn’t tell your friends, you’re lying. If you told your friends, they’re. Part of the deception. If not you sought medical treatment, you were not injured, “he continued. “If you’re looking for medical treatment, you’re crazy. If you do everything you can to help your spouse, the person you love, get rid of drug and alcohol abuse that makes you abusive and angry. Monster, you’re And if you finally decide it’s enough: you’ve had enough of fear, enough of pain, and you have to leave to save yourself, you’re a gold digger. Depp asks you to send “.
Rottenborn said Heard’s comment was not “a hit piece about Johnny Depp” and argued that freedom of speech is at the heart of the case.
“If Mr. Depp abused Amber even once, then she wins,” he told the jury, noting that it shouldn’t be just physical abuse. Abuse can mean “emotional abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse.”
Rottenborn re-read several graphic and disturbing text messages from Depp, such as how he expected the “rotten corpse of the actress to be decomposing in the trunk of a Honda Civic.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, those words are a window into the heart and mind of America’s favorite pirate. This is the real Johnny Depp,” Rottenborn said.
Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, addressed the jury on the actress’ reprimand.
“We are not asking you to give us $ 100 million, we are asking you to just look at the damage in this case and be fair and reasonable in what you determine,” he explained. “But we ask that you fully and fairly compensate Amber for everything that has happened, both in terms of reputation and emotional distress.”
Bredehoft previously said that Heard incurred $ 6 million in legal fees, which is why he has not yet fulfilled his promises to charity. (When Depp and Heard settled their divorce in 2016, the actress said she would give the sum of $ 7 million, but has not yet done so).
After lunch, each party had one more chance to address the jury. Vásquez resumed right where he left off, calling Heart’s “story” a “constantly moving target” that “can’t stand.”
“It’s never the same,” Vásquez said. “Mr. Depp owns his mistake, he owns them all. You saw him do it at the stand in a crude and powerful way … she can’t take any responsibility for what she did.”
Vásquez continued: “You saw her trapped lie after lie … The time has come for these lies to end.”
Vásquez denounced Heard’s lack of public support.
“You may have noticed that no one appeared to Ms. Heard in the courtroom except her sister. All the other witnesses who traveled to Virginia for her were a paid expert. This is a woman who burns bridges, the her close friends don’t.
“Why are you here? You’re here for a lie,” Vásquez concluded. “And that was a lie that Miss Heard repeated in the opinion piece.”
Heartd’s lawyer implored the jury to “give Amber Heard a voice” and “return her life.”
“It defends victims of domestic abuse everywhere who suffer in silence. It defends freedom of expression,” Rottenborn said.
The jury began deliberating briefly on Friday afternoon before postponing the holiday weekend. So what are the possible outcomes in this civil case? There are several.
“The jury could hold Amber Heard liable for defamation in all or some of Depp’s three claims. Johnny Depp could be held liable for one or all of Amber Heard’s defamation claims,” said legal analyst Emily D. Baker and Yahoo. “The jury could not hold any of the parties responsible for the defamation. The jury may be unable to make a decision and hang.”
Both Depp and Heard say his career suffered because of the other’s defamatory statements. If either party is held liable, “then the jury will determine the damages, in the amount it deems appropriate,” Baker adds.
Entertainment attorney Domenic Romano, founder of Romano Law, tells Yahoo, “No matter what the jury decides, there are no real winners in this case.”
“Depp’s career could benefit from renewed interest in the trial and related social media memes,” he said. ” its a difficult situation, this is not a sustainable certainty “, Romano. add. “While the public opinion tribunal seems to have ruled in favor of Depp, if the jury follows instructions, this should not decide the outcome of this case. The final defense against defamation is the truth, and in this case if the jury believes Depp was abusive, even once, then he can’t prevail … even though she might have misbehaved too “.
The jury will resume deliberations on Tuesday.
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