Amber Heard's Lawyer Spills On Messy Aftermath Of Trial
After a six-week trial and deliberation by the jury, Johnny Depp won his defamation case against Amber Heard. The suit revolved around Heard's 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post. Heard detailed that she was a survivor of domestic abuse, but never named Depp in the article. Nevertheless, Depp claimed that the article was clearly about him and that the PR fallout from the piece cost him career opportunities and large sums of money. He then sued Heard for $50 million, and she came back at him with a similar defamation case for $100 million.
The vying suits left the internet divided. Depp's fans came out of the woodwork to support the actor, and celebrities popped up on both sides of the case. Ellen Barkin testified on Heard's behalf, and Kate Moss appeared in court virtually to dispute Heard's claims that Depp was abusive toward her during their four-year relationship.
Ultimately the jury ruled in Depp's favor, though not for $50 million. Instead, Heard was ordered to pay Depp $15 million, and Depp was ordered to pay her $2 million in damages, per CNN. This was not the outcome Heard had hoped for, and now that the trial is over, her attorney is speaking out — and they know exactly who to blame.
Amber Heard didn't receive the same public support
Amber Heard's attorney is speaking out on behalf of her client and her highly publicized defamation case against her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. "What, basically, [Depp's attorneys] did here is demonize her," Elaine Charlson Bredehoft told "Today." "They were able to suppress [Heard's] medical records, which were very significant because they showed a pattern going all the way back to 2012 of Amber reporting [the alleged abuse] to her therapist, for example." Bredehoft explained there were heaps of damning evidence that were never admitted to trial. "We had a significant amount of texts including from Mr. Depp's assistants, saying, 'When I told him he kicked you, he cried. He is so sorry,'" she continued. "That didn't come in."
Furthermore, Bredehoft seemed confident that the heavy pro-Depp culture of social media played a part in the jury's decision, even if they weren't supposed to consult said platforms until the trial concluded. "They went home every night. They have families. The families are on social media," she said. "There's no way they couldn't have been influenced by it."
As for Heard, she's looking toward the future and plans to appeal the case, her attorney confirmed during the televised appearance. Depp was, of course, happy with the verdict and posted a statement on Instagram thanking his fans for their support. "The disappointment I feel today is beyond words," Heard wrote in her own statement. Despite its momentary conclusion, it sounds like the Depp-Heard fight is far from over.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.