And here with us now is one of our culture desk reporters, Andrew Limbong. We can all agree that the trial of Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard is a unique and cultural moment. We know that domestic violence is a hidden epidemic, and is vastly underreported. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Rihannas zodiac sign reveals secrets to her Super Bowl 2023 success, A lousy Valentines season for some of Hollywoods heartbreakers, Johnny Depp attorney Camille Vasquez getting cold shoulder from fellow NBC staffers: report, Devastated Johnny Depp at Jeff Becks bedside before his death: report, has shown how vast his base of supporters and fans is. Its not exactly War of the Roses grotesque, but its pretty depressing. In court on Monday, Depp's medical team testified about the night his finger tip was severed, with the actor saying that Heard threw a glass vodka bottle at him, leading to it getting cut off. He says he didnt come close to hitting her, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life. He further accuses her of having thrown a vodka bottle his way that smashed and severed a finger. Meanwhile, the couple's former marriage counselor Dr. Laurel Anderson said in her testimony that the pair engaged in "mutual abuse". Mr. Depp has accused his ex-wife of revenge defecation in their marital bed, and of throwing a vodka bottle at him, which severed the tip of his finger. Depp would grab her by the hair, backhand her and slap her in cycles of abuse. Social media doesnt care about the facts, they just care about what they see.. (In a series of 2016 texts, Depp and fellow actor Paul Bettany discussed the idea of killing Heard, which he said on the stand was "abstract humor." Johnny Depp is suing Amber Heard, 36, for $50 million in a defamation lawsuit over her 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she referred to herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse.". Yes, Bedera responded. Keep your Opinions sharp and informed. Why is there such a disparity? But here in the States, Depp testified that Heard was the abuser, that she punched him and once threw a bottle of vodka at him, which cut his finger. But then, so should men. The actors completed their whirlwind divorce years ago but continue to volley accusations of physical abuse in what has turned out to be a battle for public opinion. Laurel Anderson said the abuse during their marriage was mutual.. A psychologist hired by Mr. Depps team diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder. The Pirates of the Caribbean star insisted that he "never" hit Heard while testifying in court in Fairfax, Virginia this week. California entertainment lawyer Mitra Ahouraian added that the case isnt really about winning a defamation claim but about clearing Depps name in the public sphere, as hes said. Get the Opinion newsletter. Bedera also says that she is concerned about the impact this trial could have on victims of intimate partner violence and their willingness to come forward. There are ambiguities in the sordid conflict between the divorced actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, but some things are clear. But he did occasionally smirk in response to her testimony or lean over to his lawyer, Ben Chew, to whisper in his ear. Their marriage counselor testified that both abused each other. Although the article did not use his name, Depp claims it destroyed his career and made him a Hollywood pariah. And even Depps daughter is being targeted for online abuse by Depp fans who believe she is insufficiently supportive of her dad. So, really, a bad move on Amber Heard's legal team," Constantine said, adding that Heard's pantsuit mimics her ex-husband. 2ND UPDATE, 1:23 PM: "I tend to be quite expressive in my writing," a halting Johnny Depp said Tuesday on the stand of his $50 million defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. Heard defamation trial; a court case intended to determine whether Amber Heard had defamed her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, in an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018 in which she. If Depp somehow prevails, one can expect similar lawsuits against other women who say theyve survived abuse. In November 2020, after a salacious three-week trial in Londons Royal Courts of Justice, a judge determined that Depp had not been libeled and referred to 12 separate incidents that justified the Suns headline. Amber Heard testifies that Johnny Depp hit her on May 4, 2022. She will hit the wall hard!! That has to change. Although she didnt name her ex-husband in the piece, Mr. Depps legal team argues that there was a clear implication that he was the abuser, and these allegations hurt his film career. Im always determined to find the silver lining in things, and theres definitely one here. When Mr. Depp testified in the first days of the trial, the headline on Ms. Heards article was brought glaringly to light. ! Their former marriage therapist described their relationship as mutual abuse, which is itself a contentious term. If Heard wanted out of such a marriage, she certainly had good reason. A MARTINEZ, HOST:. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. Heard didnt help her case when she attached it to #MeToo movement. Last Thursday, Depp's former agent testified that studios were less willing to work with him because of his "unprofessional behavior" and rumored substance abuse. And remember, this is when the #MeToo movement was hitting a sort of a cultural peak. For too many social media users, Depp fandom and a bizarrely inflated sense of purpose and self-righteousness around this trial have become pretexts for a familiar hobby: harassing women online. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Depp, meanwhile, has well-documented and admitted issues with drug and alcohol abuse that dont seem to factor into his defenders case. There are no heroes in Johnny Depps defamation trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Heard did not name Depp in the Post essay, but Depp says his professional reputation was hurt nonetheless. Depp texted a friend that he wanted to kill Heard and then have sex with her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead. There is a video of Depp smashing kitchen cabinets while Heard tries to calm him, saying, at one point, All I did was say sorry! In an audio recording, she tells him to go put his cigarettes out on someone else, and he responded, Shut up, fat ass.. But Depp neednt succeed in court to achieve his ends. Now, Heard denied that and testified that Depp was routinely, like, jealous and angry and abusive and even sexually assaulted her. She is human. Ahouraian says if the jury finds that Heard defamed Depp, her career would be done., Similarly, Lizardo said Heards reputation has been severely damaged and Depps planned rebuttal witnesses might just demolish her credibility altogether.. Depp suedhis ex-wifefor $50 million, claimingshe falsely accused him of domestic violence in an opinion column that appeared in The Washington Post. One month after tying the knot, according to Depps lawsuit against Heard, she threw a vodka bottle at him in Australia. All rights reserved. "He rips my underwear off and then he proceeds to do a cavity search. Meanwhile, every platform appears to be full of adoring pro-Depp memes. Johnny Depp is coming out on top in the court of public opinion and that could be even more important than whether he wins his bombshell defamation case against Amber Heard, experts say. Earlier this week, Heard's former personal assistant, Kate James, testified that Heard once allegedly spit in her face while discussing a possible pay raise. Andrew, before we start, we should say we will be talking about domestic violence and sexual assault. All Rights Reserved. It was so important for Depp to clear his name on the domestic violence accusations that he was willing to air his other dirty laundry in the process including his battle with alcohol and drugs. Hyper-organizing" and described the actress as "belligerent and abusive.". But even if you believe that Heard acted inexcusably, the idea that she was the primary aggressor against a larger man with far more resources who was recorded cursing at her for daring to speak in an authoritative way defies logic. I was angry, he testified in London when asked about his history of eruptions, but that does not mean I have an anger problem.. MARTINEZ: Now, what was the trial like? Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Heard, 36, countersued for $100 million, claiming Depp defamed her when he said she was lying about her abuse allegations. The stars wed in 2015, with Heard filing for divorce the following year. If you were ever confused about this incident, this thread will clear your confusions and, in clearing them, show you just how much the evidence supports Amber Heard's testimony. ", "In a defamation case, the jury needs to ascertain the truth of the underlying statements," Lau continued. Some information may no longer be current. ! that kind of bombast is typical in a fraught breakup. Ahouraian was a little more skeptical about Depps marketability going forward. In a courtroom filled with cameras in Fairfax County, Va., Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp, who is suing her . As CNN has reported, social media responses to the trial are overwhelmingly from users in Depps corner and are often vicious to Heard, who is more than two decades younger than Depp and was much less famous prior to the marriage, divorce and all of the ugliness that followed. No matter the outcome of this trial, he testified Wednesday, the second those accusations were made against me, and they metastasized as fodder for the media, I lost and Ill carry that for the rest of my life.. - after the jury decision was announced and Johnny Depp stans were out there every day sort of dressed in "Pirates Of The Caribbean" gear, you know, supporting him throughout the whole thing. Why arent we warning them. This doesnt mean that the case is entirely straightforward. There's no way for an outsider to easily judge the dueling claims in the court battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. BENJAMIN CHEW: We are also most pleased that the trial has resonated for so many people in the public who value truth and justice. Reps for Depp and Heard declined to comment. Before we get to that, can you tell us about the verdict? So what's this all about? He twisted his fingers around.". By 2012, she was "walking on eggshells" but didn't know what she'd done wrong. After a man burst in with a gun, a San Francisco synagogue confronts hate, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, Im visiting all 600 L.A. spots on the National Register. Actor Johnny Depp waves to the gallery as he leaves for a break Monday during his defamation trial in Fairfax, Va. against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 'and see how many people believe or side with you.". The lawsuit opposing him and Heard in Fairfax, Virginia, which has unfolded over the course of the past . Heard wrote that Depps alleged use of drugs and alcohol periodically led to violence, after which he would sober up and apologize. Sign up today. Fifty-eight-year-old Johnny Depp brought the defamation action against 35-year-old Amber Heard (to whom he was married between 2015 and 2017) following an article in the Washington Post in which . His fans are basically doing a smear campaign around Amber Heard without him even having to do anything. This story has been shared 100,343 times. The problem of choosing facts to believe is not confined to celebrities. "Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love," the pair said in a joint statement at the time. Heard published an editorial in the Washington Post in which she alluded to ab*se she had experienced but avoided mentioning Depp. A Canadian couple with an uncanny resemblance to Amber Heard and Johnny Depp has gone viral on TikTok after imitating the actors amid their blockbuster defamation trial. Some domestic violence experts consider mutual abuse a myth, arguing that while both partners in a toxic relationship can behave terribly, one usually exercises power over the other. Thats disgusting.. While Depp was not named in the article, his lawyers argue that Heard's implication is obvious. And while Depp may come out a little tarnished and is not a family man anymore after the trial, Engelmayer says Depp has shown how vast his base of supporters and fans is, which could appeal to studios considering hiring him for new projects. Inside Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's legal battle At issue in the trial is Ms Heard's 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post, describing herself as a "public figure representing. There is a still a group of women out there, a group of supporters and people who believe that she is righteous for coming out with her voice and her truth and strong enough to sit there and take the public abuse and humiliation during the course of the trial, Engelmayer said. UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny. Anyone can read what you share. The seven-member jury - made up of five men and two women - is simultaneously deciding on Johnny Depp's defamation suit and Amber Heard's countersuit. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Its very strange when one day youre Cinderella so to speak, then 0.6 seconds later, youre Quasimodo, he testified Tuesday. What these accusations have done, Depp claims, is hurt his career. A month later, the Washington Post published an opinion essay by Heard, in which she described herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse who had felt the full force of our cultures wrath for women who speak out. Though she did not mention Depp by name, it was clear she was referring to him. Lau explained that Depp "must have clearly endured a lot of damage from Heard's statements to be willing to publicly unveil the intimate details of his marriage and his own childhood experience growing up in a household of domestic violence. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously." Depp, 58, has sued Heard, 35, for $50 million, saying she defamed him when she penned. Andrew, thanks a lot. The publication had described him as a "wife-beater.". The video ends when he sees that she is recording him and furiously grabs the phone. First Amendment scholars say the battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is unlikely to have any deep significance for the law. Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Its really bad up here. Stranded residents in San Bernardino Mountains brace for more snow, Column: Supreme Court conservatives may want to block student loan forgiveness. Under cross-examination, Johnny Depp was asked if he was more upset by events in 2016 than by what Amber Heard wrote in allegedly defamatory article. The trial has drawn endless commentary on social media that is largely heavily critical of Heard. Johnny Depp's testimony against ex-wife Amber Heard triggered a groundswell of public support. There are so many other newsworthy stories on this issue: the number of Republican candidates seeking office in the United States who are accused of domestic violence, for instance. Trial watchers obsess over the tiniest details to claim that Heard is a drug user and therefore untrustworthy. COVID origins? Mr. Depp testified that he, not Ms. Heard, was the victim of domestic abuse. But following the defamation . Johnny Depp has lost his court case against a British tabloid that labelled the actor a "wife beater." The judge said he believed the claims were "substantially true." According to a Statistics. Or security. 6:08 PM EDT, Tue May 17, 2022, 'Every word of it is true': Heard speaks on op-ed after break in defamation trial, OK Boomer, Lets Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind, much higher rates of intimate partner violence. Isabella Gomez Sarmiento and Matthew Schuerman produced and edited the audio version of this story. In a video shown in court, Johnny Depp is seen pacing in an elevator after a fight with Amber Heard on May 21, 2016. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard attend the UK Premiere of "Mortdecai" at Empire Leicester Square on January 19, 2015 in London, England. "One question I have right now, in our sort of post-#MeToo moment," Bedera commented, "we're trying to decide what the consequences should be for intimate partner violence. Depp won$10 million in compensatory damages and, $5 million in punitive damages. "I think there are a lot of reasons for that," Bedera said. I often write about intimate partner violence (most recently in an ongoing series with my colleagues Tavia Grant and Molly Hayes), and whats frustrating is how much attention this trial is sucking up. (Samuel Corum/AFP), She added that attorneys often advise women not to wear "black in the courtroom. "This is something I say a lot," she continued. You know, she's parodying what Johnny is wearing. The actor is suing his ex-wife for defamation over an op-ed she wrote about domestic violence in The Washington Post in 2018. Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard: She Axed Crisis PR Team After Bad Press "So I don't know if either of them will ever get another role in Hollywood again, but I do think it's looking good for. Discovery Company. This is also not unusual. Heard is a much less well-known and less successful entity. Heard has admitted hitting Depp, and has been recorded insulting and belittling him. Accuracy and availability may vary. Depp texted a friend that he wanted to kill Heard and. ", JOHNNY DEPP V. AMBER HEARD: THE SHOCKING TRIAL'S WILDEST MOMENTS. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. To a casual observer, the case seems to be about two deeply dysfunctional people who both saw their emotional dysregulation made exponentially worse by their romantic relationship. Its horrible because you see every flaw, every misspoken word, every piece of testimony that doesnt necessarily jive with how she said something happened a couple days ago and then social media calls her out and beats her out for it right away, Engelmayer said. A Warner Bros. But it is also safe to question Heards motives in making this a women must be believed story. 2023 Cable News Network. Opinion: Why does Mexicos president want to dismantle the democratic system that elected him? The actors completed their whirlwind divorce years ago but. Actor Johnny Depp attends his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., April 27, 2022. Online, theres a level of industrial-scale bullying directed at Heard that puts all previous social media pile-ons to shame. Hopefully, teachers are talking to their students about this trial in Virginia, and maybe getting kids to open up about whats happening in their own lives. 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