Johnny Depp will attend the hearing in the trial of his ex-wife Amber Heard on Monday, April 18, 2022. AP
The environment of a scandal involving stars like actors and ex-husbands Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, in addition to giving an audience to the media that cover it, it also feeds the curiosity of the public, whether they are followers of one of them or not, but do not have a specialized and authorized opinion on these issues. In any case, they are public figures and their exposure arouses all kinds of interest and opinions.
many wonder why Depp is risking so much in his recent court battle against his former love partner.
The 58-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star has filed a $50 million lawsuit against Heard.35, claims she defamed him in an op-ed published by The Washington Post in 2018. Heard has countersued for $100 million.
The latest trial, which began Monday, April 11, in the state of Virginia comes less than two years later Depp lost a defamation lawsuit against British tabloid The Sun in 2020. that he had called the actor a “wife beater” in relation to Heard’s domestic violence allegations.
Alex Wade, a partner at law at Wiggin LLP, said the trial was in Virginia actor’s “last roll of the dice”, but that jury trials have an “inherent unpredictability”.
“This is absolutely his last throw,” Mr Wade told the PA news agency at the end of the first week of the US trial. “If he loses that, it’s impossible to see him come back as an actor, I think.”
“Hollywood likes bad boys, absolutely, but because of the hashtag #I alsothis is how we see these things in the world today You can’t be a bad boy anymore. This is abuse. This is active misogynyWade added, “Personally, I think It’s very difficult for a Hollywood studio to rehire Depp if he loses this case“.
From his perspective, as the case unfolded, Wade said the actor “has to pull a rabbit out of his hat,” but that it’s “possible” that his extensive legal team, several of whom have flanked him in court, always could still produce this magical act.
While the question remains as to why Depp is willing to shoulder the financial cost and risk of further damaging his reputation with his latest lawsuit, California First Amendment Attorney Jeff Lewis told Newsweek The actor makes the right move.
“The expense is trivial to Depp compared to the possibility of regaining his film career.said Lewis, founder of Jeff Lewis Law. “And you have to remember that here in the United States, unlike in England, we have a rule that each party pays its attorney’s fees.”
“So if Depp loses, he doesn’t have to pay Heard’s legal fees and vice versa. So it’s relatively easy to calculate the cash investment required to go to court and appeal.”
Lewis continued: “The reason Depp is moving on is because of the millions of dollars that can be made from movies if his name is cleared.”
“Let’s remember that Robert Downey Jr.’s career was in the pit a long time before Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes came out. That process — and a positive verdict for Depp — could accelerate the recovery curve and get Depp back in business.Lewis closed.