What was clearly a complicated relationship has been rendered in black and white by legions of Depp superfans who seem to find some larger life purpose in standing up for the honor of Captain Jack Sparrow and smearing the woman who dared accuse him of wrongdoing. Photos introduced as evidence depict a gruesome injury. I didnt know what to do," she recalled. Heard is a much less well-known and less successful entity. Copyright The Mining Journal | https://www.miningjournal.net | 249 W. Washington, Marquette, MI 49855 | 906-228-2500, public figure representing domestic abuse., I felt as though I was on trial in the court of public opinion., nor have I ever struck any woman in my life.. Amber Heard on April 13 and Johnny Depp on April 11. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. A thread that dives into the May 21, 2016 incident, the one that prompted Amber Heard to leave Johnny Depp for good. It's more prevalent than you might think. "Miss Heard reported that it was a point of pride to her, if she felt disrespected, to initiate a fight. When [Johnny Depp] stepped off the stand, I think he already won based on his definition of winning, said Texas civil attorney Katherine Lizardo. 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.". Its very strange when one day youre Cinderella so to speak, then 0.6 seconds later, youre Quasimodo, he testified Tuesday. Who's the one that's wearing the pants in the family?" All rights reserved. But in this case, some of it was Bouzy estimated that there were 340 inauthentic Twitter accounts devoted to defaming Heard and amplifying petitions calling for her to be fired from acting and modeling gigs. View more opinion articles on CNN. She also said that Heard often exhibited "manic episodes similar to if someone was on some kind of amphetamine drug. 6 min read. While Depp was not named in the article, his lawyers argue that Heard's implication is obvious. 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. It was about, like, six weeks. We've received your submission. Her father had beaten her, she was not going to end. 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. 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. These self-styled defenders of an alleged abuse victim are happily partaking in misogynist abuse online. The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Trial Is Not as Complicated as You May Think The entirety of the case rests on twelve words. 2023 Cable News Network. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Rhetorical contortions aside, it seems that both Depp and Heard have anger issues rooted in childhood trauma. LIMBONG: Yeah. When Mr. Depp testified in the first days of the trial, the headline on Ms. Heards article was brought glaringly to light. (He claimed on the stand that the text messages were intended to be humorous.). Neither of them seem like particularly pleasant people. ", Then in 2018, Heard published an op-ed in The Washington Post titled: "I spoke up against sexual violenceand faced our culture's wrath. We call it the perfect victim trope. The ruling was made in 2020. ", Amber Heard enters the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 3, 2022. Dont these institutions have an obligation to first determine the truth behind the charges and if they find reason for concern, how serious the misdeed? In a courtroom filled with cameras in Fairfax County, Va., Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp, who is suing her . 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. Her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, is suing her for $50 million. And this is really common in cases like this, where perpetrators will claim that they are the true victims. This story has been shared 129,886 times. 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. [There is] a lot at stake for her. Heard published an editorial in the Washington Post in which she alluded to ab*se she had experienced but avoided mentioning Depp. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Conversely, Heard is countersuing for $100 million for nuisance with her attorneys set to argue that the essay in question was a matter of public interest and she should therefore be protected from a defamation suit. And, you know, we heard those cheers at the top - right? There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm. Only radical intervention can save juvenile justice, Commentary: L.A.s snowy mountains are a glorious, fleeting thing to behold. More Americans Believe Johnny Depp Tuesday, April 26, 2022 Although most Americans aren't paying much attention to the defamation trial between actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber. Follow Elizabeth Renzetti on Twitter: @lizrenzettiOpens in a new window. The jury in the defamation trial in Virginia between the actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard found that Mr. Depp had been defamed in a 2018 op-ed, a verdict that handed . And even Depps daughter is being targeted for online abuse by Depp fans who believe she is insufficiently supportive of her dad. Depp didn't appear to look at Heard a single time during her afternoon on the witness stand. Both Depp and Heard seem to have a loose relationship with the truth. He also claimed on the stand that it was Heard who turned their fights physical.). Meanwhile, pictures of injuries to Depp's face were shown at the trial by his security guard Sean Bett amid claims they were caused by his ex-wife. Whether or not he wins I dont think it matters to him or even to the court of public opinion, Lizardo said. Johnny Depp looks on in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 3, 2022. In 2016, the couple publicly announced they had reached a settlement in their divorce. Steve Helber/Pool/AFP via Getty Images (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst/Pool), She aslo claimed that Depp's apparent vulnerability and embarrassment while speaking about his struggle with substance abuse is indicative of "someone that was a survivor.". Johnny Depp set out on a complicated legal path when he sued Amber Heard for defamation. There's no way for an outsider to easily judge the dueling claims in the court battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Email tips toaudrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants. 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. Related:How Amber Heard Really Felt About The Public Hate During The Johnny Depp Trial This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Now, Heard denied that and testified that Depp was routinely, like, jealous and angry and abusive and even sexually assaulted her. But we can also look at the public response to that convoluted evidence as a kind of bellwether for sexism. Heard did not name Depp in the Post essay, but Depp says his professional reputation was hurt nonetheless. A public spectacle that's proving as dangerous as it is divisive. A color of control, power and dominance. the court of public opinion is the only one that matters," a crisis PR . Heard didn't name Depp in the article - however, he says the . Toplines: Results among U.S. adult citizens for every question. She countersued the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star for $100 million, accusing him and his former lawyer of conspiring to destroy her reputation in a series of smear campaigns. We know that domestic violence is a hidden epidemic, and is vastly underreported. COVID origins? Alexandra. 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.. 2. And remember, this is when the #MeToo movement was hitting a sort of a cultural peak. This trials has drawn reactions from experts, celebrities, and more! LIMBONG: Yeah, it was. Heard says Depp physically, emotionally and sexually abused her; Depp says he never hit her but that she assaulted him. appreciated. "This is not your ordinary defamation case. But he did occasionally smirk in response to her testimony or lean over to his lawyer, Ben Chew, to whisper in his ear. 'DARVO' is an acronym that stands for deny, attack and reverse victim and offender. 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. 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. I need him on his best behavior and he gets one shot.. Her abuse was already acknowledged in a U.K. court, in an unsuccessful libel action brought by Mr. Depp against a British newspaper that called him a wife beater. (The judge in that case said, I accept her evidence of the nature of the assaults he committed against her. 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. 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. 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. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. ! Their former marriage therapist described their relationship as mutual abuse, which is itself a contentious term. "According to a Know Your IX report from 2021, they found that of the survivors that report to their universities, 23% are threatened with defamation lawsuits by their perpetrators, and 10% face some kind of a retaliatory complaint on campus.". And I think that is going to impress studios more than anything else. Millions more will see the short, fan-made clips . How humiliating to have your therapist testify to the world what awful spouses you were. She would rather be in a fight than have him leave.". ! that kind of bombast is typical in a fraught breakup. (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." Originating in the abuse and harassment of women in Hollywood, #MeToo did serve a purpose. 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. It's been something of a catalyst for men's rights groups to rally around Depp. One major story in the trial which could be deemed an inconsistency is the saga of the severed finger tip. But many women have exploited #MeToo as a weapon designed to extract revenge, money or publicity. Yet even if trolls and bots helped juice anti-Heard mania, there are obviously plenty of real people participating in it. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington . Johnny Depp's latest appearance in court seems to be swaying public opinion as the actor took the stand on Tuesday in his multi-million dollar defamation suit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny. Moving fast, not making a lot of sense. This article was amended on 3 June 2022 to specify the defamation count on which the jury ruled for Amber Heard, and to give the sum awarded to Johnny Depp by the jury as $15m (later reduced by . On TikTok, as of Monday morning, #IStandWithAmberHeard has garnered about 8.2 million views, while #JusticeForJohnnyDepp has earned about 15 billion views. Thursday, he admitted that he had assaulted a couple of cabinets.. I think for Johnny Depp, winning the legal side of the defamation claim does not matter to him, Lizardo told The Post. The problem with the Depp-Heard case, though, is that while the evidence doesnt make either party look particularly honorable, the social media commentariat doesnt do complexity. In the article, Heard claimed she was a victim of domestic violence . Editors Note: Jill Filipovic is a journalist based in New York and author of the book OK Boomer, Lets Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind. Follow her on Twitter. 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