After . But this, I suppose, is the result of the misguided righteousness that has blinded Depp and Heard to their own faults. But Depp neednt succeed in court to achieve his ends. Johnny Depp attempted to sue the British tabloid newspaper The Sun for labeling him as a wife-beater in 2018. It's been a long trial. If Heard wanted out of such a marriage, she certainly had good reason. Still one can find fault with the tactics applied by one of the combatants. At the time, he blamed the destruction on an armadillo hiding in the closet. A thread that dives into the May 21, 2016 incident, the one that prompted Amber Heard to leave Johnny Depp for good. As an alleged victim of domestic abuse, Amber Heard has a new problem. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Her columns appear on Wednesday and Sunday. You know, she's parodying what Johnny is wearing. Later, it was Johnny Depp who first sued ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation after the latter wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post. Heard said she confided in her therapist and her mother, who has since passed away. Book publishers and universities are blacklisting people based on unverified accusations, allegations or complaints. They often dont even reveal exactly what the accused had allegedly done. "[W]e do talk about her dress code. Opinion: Jurors in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard case face choice over which actor to believe. There are no heroes in Johnny Depps defamation trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Men can of course be harmed by intimate partner violence, and they are deserving of support. If Depp somehow prevails, one can expect similar lawsuits against other women who say theyve survived abuse. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Heard says Depp physically, emotionally and sexually. 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.. I know it lasted a long time. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. And even Depps daughter is being targeted for online abuse by Depp fans who believe she is insufficiently supportive of her dad. "Absolutely, it's already happening," said Bedera. Did you encounter any technical issues? 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.. Plaintiff Johnny Depp is making claim for. Heards lawyers had tried to block the cameras in the courtroom, but were unsuccessful. Its OK to not know the answer to a question as complicated as what happened inside the Depp-Heard relationship. He filed a libel lawsuit against her, claiming hed lost work as a result of the piece, including a starring role in a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel for which he claims he would have earned $40 million. Market data provided by Factset. 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. Proving libel is much easier in Britain than in the United States, because there the burden of proof rests with the defendant. She wrote, quote, "it sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. A color of control, power and dominance. But Im among the numberless hordes who are gruesomely fascinated by the spectacle unfolding in a Virginia courtroom, and on social-media platforms around the world. It isnt going to go flawlessly and she is going to make mistakes, Engelmayer said. Amber Heard testifies that Johnny Depp hit her on May 4, 2022. Statistics paint a big picture but they dont tell us what did or did not happen between two people. "In our society," Bedera said, "we expect that victims fit a specific mold. LIMBONG: So after the verdict, she posted a statement on Instagram saying she was heartbroken and disappointed, you know, not just for her own case but for what it means for other women. However, there was a subsequent outpouring of support from Twitter users who pointed out systemic disbelief of women who come forward with stories of abuse. 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. On April 11, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard reported to a Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom for a long-awaited defamation trial that would air all the dirty laundry of their tumultuous marriage. Legal Statement. Neither of them seem like particularly pleasant people. Johnny Depp, left, and Amber Heard arrive for the European premiere of their 2011 film, The Rum Diary, in London. 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. Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. Depp lost his case. Domestic violence, power, control and dominance. Women dont have to be believed. MARTINEZ: Now, what was the trial like? 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. Primary Menu Sections Skip to search results Were supposed to believe that the trial is a grotesque celebrity sideshow, a media circus, a distraction from the ongoing crises of war and climate change. Outside a courtroom in Fairfax, Va., fans were ready for a verdict in favor of Johnny Depp. 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. This brand of hyperbole is often aired in divorce courts. ", "In a defamation case, the jury needs to ascertain the truth of the underlying statements," Lau continued. 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. Moving fast, not making a lot of sense. The six-week-long trial is meant to decide whether statements made in the media by both actors have cost them their public image and potential earnings. "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. But it doesnt work that way, Amber Heards defense team raises lurid details of Johnny Depps alleged drug use, Johnny Depp alleges Amber Heard hit him repeatedly, details finger-disfiguring fight, Letters to the Editor: Yes, L.A. drivers are getting worse. And the reality is that Johnny Depp is facing a lot of consequences for committing acts of violence, not just to Amber Heard but also for volatile behavior on set. They should be listened to, yes. A small number of accounts can drive conversations on Twitter, he said. (She is countersuing for $100 million.). Heard played dirty when she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post portraying herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse. Depp insists he never laid a hand on Heard and is suing her for defamation. If shes telling the truth, one has to marvel at how thoroughly Depp and his team have sullied her name. 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. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/18/opinion/amber-heard-metoo.html. MARTINEZ: What has Amber Heard said about the verdict? This story has been shared 156,414 times. Amber Heard enters the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 3, 2022. Amber Heard 's defense rested its case on Thursday after an exhaustive six-week trial. The exhibits presented on her behalf are also disturbing. 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. (Elizabeth Frantz/Pool/AFP). In a 2016 email to his former agent, Christian Carino, Depp wrote that Heard was begging for total global humiliation. Now this televised trial has resulted in an explosion of hatred and derision directed at her. Based on Depps testimony and graphic, violent text messages that he sent about Heard, which were presented at the trial, he also seems to revel in misogynist violent fantasies. Perhaps its predictable that after all hes been though, Depp still cant seem to fathom his own part in the mess. 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. Whether or not he wins I dont think it matters to him or even to the court of public opinion, Lizardo said. In 2018, The Sun, a British newspaper, called Depp a wife beater, and he sued for libel. So far, so common: Research shows that women going through the criminal justice system after surviving abuse often find themselves revictimized by a process that is hostile to their interests. She also said that Heard often exhibited "manic episodes similar to if someone was on some kind of amphetamine drug. "Right now, [Depp's] team is alleging that if a woman comes forward and identifies as a survivor in public, that that could count as defamation.". All rights reserved. A jury in Fairfax, Va., on Wednesday ruled in Johnny Depp's favor, and he will be awarded more than $10 million in his defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard. Complicating the story, Heard has admitted that she struck Depp while on Ambien. But it is also safe to question Heards motives in making this a women must be believed story. Johnny Depp looks on as he testifies during his defamation trial in the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, on April 19, 2022. Thats what a six-week trial, televised every day, thats what they were counting on would happen, Ahouraian said. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Who's the one that's wearing the pants in the family?" Hyper-organizing" and described the actress as "belligerent and abusive.". Both Depp and Heard seem to have a loose relationship with the truth. In this trial, the burden is on Depp's lawyers to prove that Heard's allegations of domestic violence against her ex-husband are false. Their marriage counselor testified that both abused each other. Depp is suing Heard, his ex-wife, for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." Though . So far were experiencing a textbook case of what philosopher Kate Manne has labelled himpathy the tendency to extend undue empathy to men, and make excuses for certain behaviours. Heard published an editorial in the Washington Post in which she alluded to ab*se she had experienced but avoided mentioning Depp. Her profession is used against her, as Depp fans claim that shes acting her way through her testimony and is clearly insincere. "Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love," the pair said in a joint statement at the time. 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