Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard Defamation Trial — What Really Happened!

Source: StyleCaster

To wrap off a contentious trial involving charges of domestic violence between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, a US jury has found both parties responsible for slander and awarded damages to both of them.

The following are some of the most salient points of the decision:

"Pirates of the Caribbean" actor Johnny Depp was awarded much more damages by a jury than his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard. Heard received $2 million, while Depp was granted $15 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive penalties.

Depp had filed a $50 million lawsuit against Heard for claiming that he was an abuser in a 2018 piece in the Washington Post. Over Adam Walkman's statements, Heard countersued for $100 million. Amber Heard was found to have made three defamatory statements, while Johnny Depp was found to have made one with the remark of his counsel.

"The jury gave me my life back," Johnny Depp said after the verdict was announced. He said that aside from the fact that he wanted to expose the truth, the purpose of bringing this case from the outset was to expose the truth, no matter what. The actor added that this is only the beginning of a new chapter for him.

Amber Heard termed the ruling a blow to women's rights and a setback. She remarked that What this judgement entails for other women is much more upsetting to her and that there is a setback in taking violence against women seriously because of this. 

The verdict and the social media coverage of it are being hailed as a victory for Johnny Depp, but some are calling it sexist.

The following are some of the highlights of the trial for people who have been living in a cave.

Mutual Abuse

Mutual abuse is a phrase that has been used to describe the relationship between Ms Heard and Mr Depp, according to some observers.

Clinical psychologist Laurel Anderson, who worked with both Ms. Heard and Mr. Depp in the past, described their relationship as mutually abusive.

While testifying for Mr. Depp's team, Dr. Anderson portrayed a relationship that was fraught with tension, with the two parties frequently threatening to leave sessions because of their disagreement. Dr. Anderson, on the other hand, believes that Ms. Heard is often the one to start the arguments.

Dr. Anderson claimed that Mr. Depp was ‘well-managed’ prior to meeting Ms. Heard and had not engaged in violence in previous relationships. She added that Depp was set off by the presence of Ms Heard because she was a trigger. In her opinion, they were abusing each other.

Several times, Ms Heard fought with Mr Depp in an effort to keep him from leaving, she claimed.  Court testimony revealed that she considered it a badge of honor to instigate violence when insulted.

'Burn Amber' 

Over the course of four days of testimony, Mr. Depp was questioned about a number of his texts and emails in which he disparaged his ex-wife in graphic terms.

A 2013 text interaction between him and British actor Paul Bettany was brought up in one interview.

Mr. Depp had written, "Let's burn her," in reference to Ms. Heard in a message. First, let's drown her, then let's set her ablaze to "make sure she's dead" was the next disgusting advice he offered.

During his testimony, the actor admitted that he was embarrassed by the texts and said they were inspired by a Monty Python comedy.

He described it as "irreverent and abstract humor," something he would have enjoyed watching as a kid.

Personality Disorders

Forensic psychologist Dr Shannon Curry testified during Mr Depp's trial that she believed Amber Heard had borderline and histrionic personality disorders.

When asked how long it took for Dr. Curry to reach her decision, Ms. Heard responded that she spent around 12 hours with her in December of 2021, taking mental health tests and looking through her medical records.

It is an unstable personality disorder, according to Dr. Curry, which is characterized by "a lot of rages, brutality toward others less strong, and attention-seeking".

According to her, these behaviors are "motivated by an underlying fear of abandonment," as evidenced by recordings played in court of Ms Heard pleading with Mr Depp not to leave her.

Dr. Dawn Hughes, a psychologist consulted by Ms. Heard's team, disagreed with Dr. Curry's conclusions.

Substance Abuse

There were two conflicting reports of Mr. Depp's drug use presented to the jury during the course of the trial.

According to Mr. Depp, he was sober for most of his relationship with Ms. Heard following his 2014 detox from the opiate Oxycodone.

In contrast, according to Ms. Heard, Depp is prone to booze and drug binges, despite her repeated requests for him to clean up his act. Depp, according to Ms. Heard, misused alcohol, cocaine, and opioids on a regular basis.

She recalled that it seemed like he was going to faint out or become ill or lose control of himself at any moment.

This behavior was allegedly displayed in front of Mr. Depp's children, according to eyewitness accounts. A long-time manager of the actor's private island in the Bahamas testified at trial that she saw Johnny Depp pass out in the sand in front of his son on more than one occasion.

Mr. Depp called Ms. Heard's portrayal of his drug use "grossly inflated" and "plainly wrong," and he rejected it. Her associates informed him that she was also a heavy drinker and occasional drug user.

Never struck Heard

Mr. Depp asserted that he has never struck Ms Heard in that way, nor has he ever struck any woman in his life, rejecting his former partner's allegations of violence.

Mr. Depp also claimed that he was abused and demeaned by Ms. Heard.

Mr Depp is mocked and called a baby by Ms Heard in one recording after she admits to "striking" him. A letter to Mr. Depp in which she apologized for going "crazy" was also included in the trial.

That Australian Trip

There were other stories, some of which were overlapping and others that were inconsistent, of a vacation to Australia in 2015, when Mr. Depp was filming a Pirates of the Caribbean film.

During an argument with his ex-wife, Johnny Depp claims he lost the tip of his middle finger to a vodka bottle thrown at him by her.

After going into shock, Depp said to jurors, that he scrawled words for Heard on the wall with blood from his wound. That was the closest he had ever come to having a nervous breakdown, he admitted.

Ms. Heard said that Mr. Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle that night, despite her denials that he injured his finger.

According to the surgeon consulted by Ms Heard, Mr Depp's story of what happened was highly implausible, in large part since his fingernail was still intact. 

Camille Vasquez

In spite of the fact that Mr. Depp and Ms. Heard brought a lot of celebrity power to the Fairfax courthouse, Camille Vasquez, Mr. Depp's lawyer, was the real star of the trial.

During the trial, the young California lawyer attracted the attention of millions. Social media users began wearing T-shirts emblazoned with her name and laudatory hashtags.

Kate Moss 

Kate Moss, a British supermodel, was added to the list of witnesses at the last minute.

Last week, Mr Depp's team called on his ex-girlfriend to refute a rumor that she was forced down the stairs by her ex-husband in the 1990s, when she was seeing him from 1994 to 1998.

Mr Depp denied pushing Ms Moss down the steps in a brief videotaped deposition.

As Ms. Moss explained that there had been a thunderstorm and I slipped down the steps and bruised my back. To her relief, Mr. Depp returned to help her and arranged for medical care.

He never pushed, kicked, or hurled me down any stairs, Ms. Moss claimed.

Now that was a whirlwind trial! What are your thoughts about it? Let us know.