Cristiana Moldovan (11) | STAFF REPORTER
The story begins the morning of April 11, 2022, well arguably, the true beginning could be February 3, 2022 with their marriage, or 2011, when they started dating, or 2009, when they first met on a film set. For the sake of this article, and limited word count, this story starts April 11, 2022 in the Fairfax County Courthouse, in Fairfax, Virginia.
The trial ensued over a 2018 Washington Post article written by Amber Heard in which she calls herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse”. The article did not mention her ex-husband Johnny Depp, but referred to the time period when, two years prior, Heard had filed for divorce and a restraining order against Depp. On claims that the article severely damaged his career, Depp sued Heard for defamation and $50 million for the damages to his career. After three statements made by Depp’s lawyer denying her allegations, Heard countersued Depp for $100 million.
Depp’s Testimony
Depp was put on the stand for 2 days to give his testimony. Depp made a statement upon appearing on the stand that the allegations were “not based on any species of truth”. He continued by testifying “Never did I, myself, reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life.”
Depp then began to describe his relationship to Heard, saying that in the first year out of their 18 month marriage Heard was “the perfect partner”, but this quickly began to change. Depp said that they began to have long and winding arguments, and although admitting to his substance abuse, he claims that Heard “embellished” his substance problem.
Depp continued by saying Heard would regularly “berate” him with verbally abusive comments, and has striked him out of anger on an number of occasions. Two pictures were shown as evidence of this; a picture of Depp with a bruise on his face taken by his body guard after a violent confrontation with Heard, and another with scratches on his face.
Depp let the jury know that after Heard’s article was published he had lost out on numerous roles including being dropped from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Depp’s Cross-Examination
During the cross-examination, Heard’s lawyers had to frequently repeat that Depp was suing Heard for her article, which he made very clear never mentioned Depp, and not for domestic violence. Heard’s lawyers make the argument that it was Depp’s drinking problem that cost him his career.
Heard’s Testimony
Similar to Depp, during her two day testimony, Heard also noted that she and Depp began their relationship with a beautiful romance that quickly turned sour.
Going in graphic detail, Heard listed a number of violent encounter with Depp, where she was abused both physically and sexually, while emphasizing his substance abuse issue. She labelled him as jealous and controlling.
Multiple photos were shown as evidence of amber being bruised and injured, along with emails and text messages between the couple.
Her testimony concluded with her saying that the article was not about Depp, but about her experience after she obtained a temporary restriction order against Depp.
Heard’s Cross-Examination
Depp’s lawyers attempted at discrediting her testimony by pointing out the lack of medical records to back up her claims, and also noting Heard’s continued use of drugs and alcohol while critiquing Depp’s. They also argued heavily against the claim that the article was not about Depp.
Closing Arguments
Amber Heard’s lawyers concluded by saying “If you didn’t take pictures, it didn’t happen; if you did take pictures, they’re fake. If you didn’t tell your friends, you’re lying; and if you did tell your friends, they’re part of the hoax. If you didn’t seek medical treatment, you weren’t injured; if you did seek medical treatment, you’re crazy,” in reference to women like Heard who accuse their husbands of domestic violence.
Depp’s lawyers went on to further discredit Heard by saying, “MeToo is an important movement, but it’s for true survivors, not Ms. Heard,” and “What we have is a mountain of unproven allegations that are wild, over-the-top, and implausible. You can’t pick and choose which to believe. Either Mr. Depp sexually assaulted Ms. Heard with a bottle in Australia, or Ms. Heard got up on that stand, in front of all of you, and made up that horrific tale of abuse. Either she’s a victim of truly horrific abuse or she is a woman who is willing to say absolutely anything.”
The Jury’s Verdict
The seven member jury, composed of 5 men and 2 women, is responsible for deducing 2 verdicts; one for Depp, and one for Amber. On Wednesday June 1, 2022, after less than 13 hours of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict awarding Depp $15 million for his defamation sue, while also awarding Heard $2 million, on account of his team calling her allegations a hoax.
