Matthew Barakat, The Associated Press Posted on Friday, May 27, 2022 at 7:35 AM EDT Last Updated on Friday, May 27, 2022 at 10:46 AM EDT
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) – Johnny Depp’s lawyers on Friday asked a jury to “bring Mr. Depp back to life” by declaring his ex-wife, Amber Heard, guilty of defamation.
Heard “ruined her life by falsely telling the world that she was a survivor of domestic abuse at the hands of Mr. Depp,” lawyer Camille Vasquez told the jury in the final arguments.
Depp hoped the trial would help restore his image and resurrect his career, although it has become a show of a vicious marriage that has left the two actors tarred, with broadcast cameras in the courtroom. who caught every turn as fans took to social media and lined up. at night for the coveted lounge seats.
Depp is suing Heard for $ 50 million in the Fairfax County Circuit Court of Virginia for an opinion piece he wrote in December 2018 in The Washington Post describes himself as “a public figure representing the ‘domestic abuse’. His lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though he never mentioned his name.
Heard filed a $ 100 million lawsuit against Depp after his attorney called his allegations a hoax.
Depp, in his final testimony before the jury, said he filed the lawsuit so he could tell his version of the story, which he said he had not been able to do so far.
“I’ve been talking about what I’ve been carrying on my back, reluctantly, for six years,” Depp said Wednesday.
Heard, in his final testimony, said he has been the victim of a smear campaign orchestrated by Depp since he filed for divorce, and said he just wanted Depp to “leave me alone.”
Depp says she never beat Heard and that she made up allegations of abuse to gain an edge in divorce proceedings. He said he was often physically attacked by Heard.
“There’s an abuser in this room, but it’s not Mr. Depp,” Vásquez said.
Heard testified about more than a dozen episodes of physical and sexual assault that he said Depp inflicted on him.
Vásquez, in his closing remarks, noted that Heard had to review his testimony about the first time he said she was beaten. Heard said Depp hit her after she accidentally laughed at one of her tattoos. Heard initially said it happened in 2013, after a fairy-tale year of romance and love, but later corrected himself by saying it happened in 2012, very early in their relationship.
“Now, in this room, a whole year of magic has suddenly disappeared,” Vásquez said.
Jurors have seen several photos of Heard with marks and bruises on his face, but some photos show only a slight redness and others show more severe bruises.
Vásquez said evidence that Heard has embellished some of his wounds is proof that all of his allegations of abuse are unfounded.
“Either you believe everything, or nothing,” he said. “Either she’s the victim of horrible and ugly abuse, or she’s a woman willing to say absolutely anything.”
Each side has two hours to summarize their case in a trial that has been extended for six weeks. Heard’s lawyers will present their final arguments later Friday.