After a six-week trial, a jury deliberated for hours on May 31 without reaching a verdict in the multimillion-dollar defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
The jury is expected to resume its deliberations Tuesday (local time) at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia.
This trial has presented a startling testimony with explicit details about the brief and explosive marriage of movie stars.
This is what the jury will have to decide.
What should the jury consider?
At the heart of the legal case is a December 2018 opinion piece by Ms. Heard in The Washington Post, in which she made a statement about domestic abuse.
The article did not mention Mr. Depp’s name, but his lawyer told jurors that it was clear Ms. Heard was referring to him.
Depp filed a $ 50 million ($ 70 million) defamation lawsuit against Ms. Heard, alleging that the comment she wrote damaged her reputation and career.
In return, Ms. Heard is suing Depp for $ 100 million ($ 140 million).
What should they decide?
A seven-member jury must decide whether two passages and the title of the article are defamatory.
The jury’s verdict form instructs jurors on how to determine it, including the question of whether the statements were about Depp, were false, and had a defamatory implication on him.
Since Depp is a public figure, Ms. Heard can only be found guilty of defamation if the jury decides that she acted with “real malice,” that is,
- either he knew what he was writing was fake or
- he acted with reckless contempt for the truth.
Heard can only be found guilty of defamation if the jury decides he acted with “real malice.” (AP: Craig Hudson)
Ms. Heard’s attorneys told the jury that Mr. Heard’s defamation suit. Depp must fail if Ms. Heard suffered even a single incident of abuse.
The headline of the online version of Ms Heard’s opinion piece said, “I spoke out against sexual violence and faced the wrath of our culture. That needs to change.”
Ms. Heard’s attorneys argued that she had told the truth and that her comments were covered as free speech under the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Depp’s lawyers filed their case in the United States in Fairfax County, Virginia, for The Washington Post to be printed there. The newspaper is not a defendant.
Depp makes a surprise appearance on stage with Jeff Beck as he awaits the verdict
While awaiting the verdict of his defamation trial in the United States, Depp made an unscheduled appearance on stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall on May 30.
Sharing the stage with English rock guitarist Jeff Beck, Mr Depp was on stage for a total of 20 minutes, returning once again for the encore.
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Beck introduced him as, “Someone who came knocking on my locker room door about five years ago and we haven’t stopped laughing since.”
“We kept that quiet,” he added, “for obvious reasons.”
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Allegations of abuse
Throughout the trial, jurors listened to recordings of the couple’s fights and saw graphic photos of Mr.’s injuries. Depp.
Depp said his fingertip was cut off when Mrs. Heard threw him a bottle of vodka in 2015.
Heard denied having injured Depp’s finger.
She described more than a dozen cases in which Depp abused her, including her allegation that she sexually assaulted her with a bottle of liquor in an alcohol-fueled rage.
Depp has denied any physical or sexual abuse, alleging that Ms. Heard invented the claims to destroy his reputation.
He also claimed that she physically assaulted him on several occasions.
Reuters / AP
Posted 10 hours 10 hours ago Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at 12:46 AM, updated 8 hours ago Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at 2:45 AM