"I just, stood there staring at the stupid light. This case is about using the courts as a platform to tell his side of the story and clearing the record and swaying the court of public opinion, Ahouraian said. Its OK to not know the answer to a question as complicated as what happened inside the Depp-Heard relationship. 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. "Absolutely, it's already happening," said Bedera. Results, interactive data, and methodology on Americans' attitudes on the defamation trial with Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, from a May 20 - 22, 2022 YouGov survey. Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard are continuing to face off in a highly publicized libel trial. The trial, which is being carried live on Court TV, has been a feast for gossip gluttons who have strong stomachs. I daresay this marriage was doomed from the start and not just because of the couples 22-year age difference. This article was published more than 6 months ago. Amber Heards lawyer grills Johnny Depp during cross-examination with a slew of embarrassing messages that might undermine parts of Depps testimony. Rhetorical contortions aside, it seems that both Depp and Heard have anger issues rooted in childhood trauma. The trial was headed by a seven-member jury, who awarded Depp with more than 10 million dollars in his defamation case against his ex-wife Amer Heard. Depp sued Heard for defamation, alleging $50 million in damages following an opinion piece Heard wrote for the Washington Post in 2018, although she denies that the op-ed was about Depp, and she . Reps for Depp and Heard declined to comment. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Wear the Gucci tie and the Gucci pin. In fact, forensic and clinical psychologist Dr. Shannon Curry testified Tuesday on behalf of Depp's legal team that Heard has BPD and histrionic personality disorder (HPD). We can choose to look at conflicting accounts and evidence and conclude that we just dont know what exactly happened. Statistics paint a big picture but they dont tell us what did or did not happen between two people. Thanks for contacting us. Amber Heard testifies that Johnny Depp hit her on May 4, 2022. Already, the singer Marilyn Manson has filed a defamation suit against his ex-fiance Evan Rachel Wood, one of several women who have accused him of sexual violence. Ever, ever, ever. 141. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Twitter: @AbcarianLAT. The only thing that one could do, really, was try to stay out of the line of fire., The couples therapist, Laurel Anderson, testified in a videotaped deposition that Heards father beat her as a child and that it was a point of pride to her if she felt disrespected to initiate a fight. Also, said Anderson, she felt she had to hit him back if he hit her and so she always did., The therapist described the couples dynamic as mutual abuse.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. And she could also go on talk shows to discuss her experience after going through two trials. Actor Johnny Depp is suing his ex-wife Amber Heard for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post, which chronicled her experiences as a domestic abuse survivor. Results. On Weekend Edition Sunday, sociologist Nicole Bedera, who specializes in sexual violence, spoke to NPR about the trial and its implications for discussions about intimate partner violence and why social media seems to have far more sympathy for the former Pirates of the Caribbean star than for his ex-wife. Behavioral analyst Susan Constantine, who specializes in reading body language and detecting deception, says she does "not believe" Johnny Depp "was abusive with" his ex-wife, Amber Heard, based on both of their testimonies during Depp's defamation trial against Heard. This is what you get when fame and fortune infantilize two grown people, each of whom needs desperately to have the last word and to have it in public. Her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, is suing her for $50 million. The actors completed their whirlwind divorce years ago but. "I know she led (the fights) on more than one occasion and started it to keep him with her because abandonment and having him leave was her worst nightmare," Anderson said last week. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. These self-styled defenders of an alleged abuse victim are happily partaking in misogynist abuse online. 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. Johnny Depp seen pacing in an elevator after a fight with Amber Heard, John Travolta's daughter Ella reveals 'biggest gift' from 'Saturday Night Fever' legend, Jay Leno shows off 'new face' after suffering third-degree burns, Kylie Jenners ex Travis Scott nightclub incident: New York police investigating alleged bar brawl, Ricou Browning, 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' star, dead at 93, 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant scolded by Pat Sajak, ripped apart by fans, Jillian Michaels suffered a spinal injury in secret that left her crawling due to pain. A color of control, power and dominance. Thats what a six-week trial, televised every day, thats what they were counting on would happen, Ahouraian said. 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. Constantine said that while she kept in mind that Depp is an actor while analyzing his courtroom behavior, she found his testimony to be authentic. Depp is pictured testifying during the trial at Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on April 19, 2022. 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. This truly happened. It wants a hero and a villain, and it wants to drive that villain into the ground. There were constant accusations of infidelity, then "explosions." It's been a long trial. That made her the perfect object of a #MeToo backlash. Plaintiff Johnny Depp is making claim for. The actress also described incidents in which Depp slapped her multiple times, pinned her against a wall and choked her, and did a "cavity search" on her while looking for his cocaine. 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. So, really, a bad move on Amber Heard's legal team," Constantine said, adding that Heard's pantsuit mimics her ex-husband. A small number of accounts can drive conversations on Twitter, he said. Its like vitriol, the California lawyer added. Still one can find fault with the tactics applied by one of the combatants. 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.. 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. Follow Elizabeth Renzetti on Twitter: @lizrenzettiOpens in a new window. 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. 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. 2ND UPDATE, 1:23 PM: "I tend to be quite expressive in my writing," a halting Johnny Depp said Tuesday on the stand of his $50 million defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. I can't wait for the inevitable docu-series and its fresh, new perspective. ", Then in 2018, Heard published an op-ed in The Washington Post titled: "I spoke up against sexual violenceand faced our culture's wrath. LIMBONG: Yeah. Tell the world, Johnny, tell them, 'Johnny Depp, I, Johnny Depp, a man, Im a victim, too, of domestic violence. "I think that Amber was the aggressor 100%. 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. The Depp fandom includes some very loud mens rights activists, who claim that women are often the abusers in relationships, as well as seemingly average citizens who have become self-styled experts on everything from domestic abuse to body language to personality disorders. The stars wed in 2015, with Heard filing for divorce the following year. She also said that Heard often exhibited "manic episodes similar to if someone was on some kind of amphetamine drug. Depp, meanwhile, has well-documented and admitted issues with drug and alcohol abuse that dont seem to factor into his defenders case. MARTINEZ: That was NPR's Andrew Limbong. He said he was looking for his drugs, his cocaine, his coke. Meanwhile, every platform appears to be full of adoring pro-Depp memes. The trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard shows how bias impacts moral judgement. We can all agree that the trial of Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard is a unique and cultural moment. In 2018, The Sun, a British newspaper, called Depp a wife beater, and he sued for libel. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, "In our society," Bedera said, "we expect that victims fit a specific mold. For this list, we'll be looking at what doctors, attorneys, and other professionals have. She is human. This was a he hit her, she hit him story, and The Post was remiss for publishing Heards unverified claims without a response from the other side. Its very strange when one day youre Cinderella so to speak, then 0.6 seconds later, youre Quasimodo, he testified Tuesday. Depps request for appeal was denied. Its horrible because you see every flaw, every misspoken word, every piece of testimony that doesnt necessarily jive with how she said something happened a couple days ago and then social media calls her out and beats her out for it right away, Engelmayer said. 20. And that's the fight we're having in public right now.". The bottle shattered and the broken glass severed and shattered the bones of his right middle finger. Johnny Depp, left, and Amber Heard arrive for the European premiere of their 2011 film, The Rum Diary, in London. 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. There seems, however, to be a broader misogynist frenzy at work, one characteristic of the deeply reactionary moment were living through. He went into this knowing that all of this was going to come out, Ahouraian said. 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. The trial has drawn endless commentary on social media that is largely heavily critical of Heard. We know that men's rights activist forums, for example, have been following the Heard case pretty carefully.". 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. LIMBONG: Yeah, it was. This brand of hyperbole is often aired in divorce courts. hide caption. Lau said the timeline of events leading to Heard's accusations and inconsistencies in her story may be swaying the public to sympathize with Depp. In a courtroom filled with cameras in Fairfax County, Va., Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp, who is suing her . This doesnt mean that the case is entirely straightforward. Outside a courtroom in Fairfax, Va., fans were ready for a verdict in favor of Johnny Depp. 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. Fine, I do drugs, I battled addiction since I was young, but I am not a wife beater. And thats all hes trying to say.. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Both Depp and Heard seem to have a loose relationship with the truth. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! During the trial, Depp has also accused Heard of assaulting him, and claimed that he is a victim of domestic violence as well. But its not just the internet. Depp, 58, is suing her over a 2018 op-ed she wrote alleging she was a victim of domestic violence, claiming the abuse allegations were an elaborate "hoax" to promote her film "Aquaman" and punish him for leaving her. Johnny Depp looks on as he testifies during his defamation trial in the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, on April 19, 2022. Legal Statement. Hes trying to be witty, hes trying to be funny., Thats his way of winning over audiences whether hes on stage or in front of a camera or in front of a jury.. Andrew, thanks a lot. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. 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. Actor Johnny Depp has had a wild last few years, as his notoriety shifted from this career as a character actor to this long legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. 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. Believe all women, except Amber Heard, Chris Rock joked recently. Photos introduced as evidence depict a gruesome injury. Now the question is, these fans who are rallying behind him, do they have more sway than a potential financier or investor who is still putting the risk up? Ahouraian said. Depp won$10 million in compensatory damages and, $5 million in punitive damages. It was a pretty similar case, except for the fact that Depp actually lost that one. Johnny Depp won his defamation trial, and Amber Heard has partially won her countersuit against Depp. Isabella Gomez Sarmiento and Matthew Schuerman produced and edited the audio version of this story. Depp currently being more vocally backed on Twitter. 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. Depp's reputation in Hollywood has already taken a hit. Here are some tips. There are ambiguities in the sordid conflict between the divorced actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, but some things are clear. What these accusations have done, Depp claims, is hurt his career. Johnny Depp won his defamation trial, and Amber Heard has partially won her countersuit against Depp. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Now, Heard denied that and testified that Depp was routinely, like, jealous and angry and abusive and even sexually assaulted her. And, you know, now, Depp's argument for suing her was that the op-ed was baseless and that it cost him roles, you know, including another "Pirates Of The Caribbean" movie. Online, theres a level of industrial-scale bullying directed at Heard that puts all previous social media pile-ons to shame. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/18/opinion/amber-heard-metoo.html. 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. Opinion: Guns are the biggest public health threat kids face. He is suing his ex-wife for $50 million, alleging she defamed him in her 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she described herself as a victim of domestic abuse. Heard is a much less well-known and less successful entity. 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