Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have a long (and messy) history with one another that makes it difficult to cover everything in one article. To begin, Heard divorced Depp in 2016, 15 months after they were married. With this divorce, Heard filed a restraining order against Depp, claiming that he was physically abusive to her. In response, Depp claimed that he was completely innocent of any physical abuse claims and, instead, stated that he was the victim of physical abuse in his marriage with Amber Heard.
Fast forward to today, the two public figures are currently in the midst of a court case that will (hopefully) serve justice. Depp is suing Heard for defamation, or damage caused to one’s reputation due to false statements. Then, Heard countersued Depp claiming that he defamed her.
Are you keeping up?
There are so many sides to this trial and additional information, claims, and evidence are continually being presented. Depp’s lawyers brought multiple witnesses to testify in Depp’s favor. One includes Depp’s sister who was very close to him throughout their childhood. Another is Lauren Anderson, the couple’s marriage counselor. The witness list includes Elon Musk and James Franco, who is expected to testify in the coming weeks. Like any case, this is an ongoing and long process.
So why should you care about this?
Well, it’s clear that there are cases of physical harm presented by both sides. Domestic violence is something that According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.” This statistic alone shows how many lives domestic violence can affect.
Another key aspect of this case that is presented is the fact that a man is speaking out against domestic violence. This isn’t a completely new action, but it’s not the most common action. There’s such a stigma on masculinity that if a man claims he was abused in any form, they are taken as vulnerable and sensitive. Seeing a male figure, like Depp, speak on matters of physical harm makes me hopeful for a future in which other men can feel comfortable talking about their experiences with abuse and, along with that, be treated with respect.
As an outsider, it seems more difficult trying to stay as unbiased and fair as possible. Especially when you grew up watching Johnny Depp in films like Pirates of the Caribbean and Alice in Wonderland. At the end of the day, justice needs to be served within this case no matter who is found guilty.
If you or someone you know has been or is a victim of domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 800- 799-7233 or visit their website thehotline.org
sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/arts/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial.html https://www.thehotline.org/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=domestic_violence