The court’s shorthand for Johnny Depp’s defamation suit against actor Amber Heard’s ex-wife said she witnessed several members of the jury “fall asleep” during court proceedings.
In an interview with Law & Crime Network, Judy Bellinger said that at some point in the six-week trial, jurors in the front and back rows were falling asleep.
#JudyBellinger, the independent judicial journalist for #Depp v. #Heard said in an EXCLUSIVE interview that some jurors were falling asleep during the defamation trial. pic.twitter.com/4w87MArswy
– Law & Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) June 6, 2022
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“It was difficult because there was a lot of video deposition,” Bellinger said in the interview.
Both Depp and Heard summoned more than a dozen witnesses each, many of whom testified via web videos or pre-recorded statements. Bellinger seemed to suggest that these witnesses were often more difficult to pay attention to than the witnesses who spoke live in court.
Read more: Amber Heard’s lawyer claims Johnny Depp “demonized” ex-wife and suppressed evidence in defamation lawsuit
Bellinger said that when he watched the seven-person jury, he occasionally saw certain members’ heads falling “as if asleep.
Otherwise, he said the jury was “very intentional” and “listening intently” during the trial.
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Actor Johnny Depp talks to court stenographer during a break in the middle of his defamation suit against his ex-wife Amber Heard at Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia on April 27, 2022. Getty
He also spoke of an alternate member of the jury who did not join the jury for deliberations, but who Bellinger said was more enthusiastic than the rest.
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“The substitute was probably the one who heard the most,” he said. “I watched his facial expressions. He was very deep in every word he said. I thought he would have been a great jury, but he didn’t get to see it until the end.”
Bellinger went on to say that the alternate member of the jury “was paying close attention” and “had never fallen asleep”.
Read more: Jury returns verdict in favor of Johnny Depp in defamation lawsuit with Amber Heard
On June 1, a jury in Fairfax, Virginia, ruled in favor of Depp, 58, and ruled that Heard, 36, had defamed him on three charges, awarding him $ 15 million. in damage. That amount was later reduced by the judge to $ 10.35 million due to state law.
Heard also received a partial victory, receiving $ 2 million in a claim that Depp’s former lawyer and press officer defamed her when she described her allegations of domestic abuse against the Pirates of the Caribbean actor “a abuse deception “designed to take advantage of the #MeToo movement. .
Last week, Heartd’s attorney, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, said Aquaman’s plaintiff would appeal the verdict in that lawsuit, adding that “he has excellent reasons for doing so.” He said Heard “is absolutely not” able to pay the $ 10 million sentence.
1:32 Amber Heard’s lawyer speaks, says court cameras turned trial into “zoo” Amber Heard’s lawyer speaks, says court cameras turned trial into “zoo” ”
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