There is already a verdict. The seven members of the popular jury have made a decision in what is probably the most media-heavy trial in recent years, in which actor Johnny Depp is up against his wife Amber Heard. It is assessed whether it is defamation, although allegations of mistreatment, physical and psychological aggression and even rape were made in the process. The verdict is appealable and the process can take years before a final resolution is reached. The verdict will be announced at 3:00 p.m. EST where the Fairfax, Virginia courthouse is located. It will be 9:00 PM Peninsular Time.
The jury began its deliberations last Friday. Leaving sessions, particularly at weekends, Judge Penney Azcarate warned them that they could not speak to anyone about the case, not family and friends, nor could they follow the news, opinions and comments that have multiplied in the press. , radio , television and social networks.
The trial was extended through a month and a half of marathon sessions at the courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, the city where The Washington Post, the newspaper that published the article that led to the entire trial, is printed. Depp filed a lawsuit, demanding $50 million in damages (about €47 million at current exchange rates). For her part, Amber Heard countered and filed another lawsuit demanding $100 million from Depp, although her lawyer admitted that number was unrealistic and that they wanted to send a message.
The trial, which was broadcast live by numerous media outlets in the United States, has raised great expectations. The public could go into the room where the hearings were held, but there was only room for about 100 people. Queues have increased and in the last week of the hearing many people stayed at the court door to sleep in order to secure their place.
The sessions revealed to the world the intimacy of the couple of Hollywood stars in a toxic relationship. The two versions of the same story presented to the jury were completely opposite.
Among the public coming outside of court, support for Johnny Depp was overwhelming. Some of his followers dressed up as pirates and cheered him on as he entered and exited. Amber Heard had much less support, was occasionally booed and subject to social media harassment with demeaning labels and constant negative messaging, according to an expert hired by the actress’s own defense.
“The most intimate, embarrassing and deeply humiliating things I have ever experienced are being used against me over and over again every day. It’s torture. I’m suffering a lot emotionally. I have a child. I want to keep moving forward. I want Johnny to continue too. I want him to leave me alone,” the actress said at a trial date. Moving on, the actor’s defense also urged: “We ask that you give him his life back by telling the world that Mr. Depp was not the perpetrator, it was Mrs. Heard and that you hold her responsible for her lie,” he said his attorney Camille Vasquez.
On closing day, Johnny Depp’s attorneys asked the jury to decide on the actor’s and actress’ overall credibility. They called for an overall analysis and concluded that Heard was the real perpetrator who had “played the role of her life” by lying about the abuse.
For their part, Heard’s attorneys appealed to the freedom of speech enshrined in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. His argument was that even if the jury found the sexual assault, rape and physical abuse report untrue, psychological or financial abuse would be enough to win Heard over her right to free speech.
The six verdicts in court
The cross-libel lawsuit focused on these six statements, which the jury ruled on, three from Amber Heard, who Johnny Depp considered defamatory, and three from a former Depp attorney who the actress believed was speaking on behalf of her client and was defamatory.
Statements by Amber Heard in an article by his ex-wife in the December 18, 2018 Washington Post:
“I have spoken out against sexual violence and faced the wrath of our culture. That needs to change.”
– “Then, two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic violence, and I felt the full brunt of our culture’s anger at women speaking out.”
—”I’ve had the rare benefit of seeing in real time how institutions are protecting men accused of abuse.”
Affirmations from Adam Waldman, attorney for Johnny Depp:
—“Amber Heard and her friends in the media use false accusations of sexual violence as a sword and shield as needed. They took some of his sexual violence “facts” as a sword and threw them at the public and at Mr. Depp.” (The Daily Mail, April 8, 2020).
– “It was just an ambush, a deception. They found Mr Depp by calling the police, but the first attempt was unsuccessful. The agents went to the attics, searched and questioned them thoroughly, and left after finding no damage to their face or property. So Amber and her friends spilled some wine and messed up the page, cleared up their stories under the guidance of a lawyer and a publicist, and then made a second 911 call.” (The Daily Mail, April 27, 2020).
“We have reached the beginning of the end of the abuse scam that Mrs. Heard started against Johnny Depp.” (The Daily Mail, April 27, 2020).