June 1st, 2022 will forever be marked as the grand finale of a – literally – cinematographic clash between two giant artists from Hollywood: after six weeks of judgment, a decision in favor of Johnny Depp was taken by the jury concerning the case he was bringing against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The verdict on the defamation suit that the actor brought against Heard was based on more than a month of accusations, shocking revelations, and plot twists worthy of a thriller movie.
For those who didn’t follow the saga, Depp filed a defamation suit against the actress after she published an article in the journal “The Washington Post”, in 2018, claiming to have been a victim of domestic violence. In response, Amber filed a lawsuit against the actor, also for defamation, claiming to have been slandered through Depp’s attorney, Adam Waldman. As a result, the jury has ruled that both lawsuits are valid, and while Johnny is expected to pay Amber $2 million, the actress must pay her ex-husband $10.35 million – compensation that, possibly, Johnny Depp will give up receiving. According to his lawyer, Camilla Vasquez, the actor’s lawsuit was filed to “clear his name, not get money”.
Now, with the curtains drawn and the movie over, let’s look back at some of the most memorable moments of the entire trial – or, better said, the Oscar-worthy odyssey formed around the lawsuit between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
FIRST ACT: SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND SEVERED FINGER
Depp was filming the fifth movie of “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise in Australia, in March 2015, when one of the biggest fights between the couple happened. In the case, Amber says that, after a discussion with her ex-husband, he would have sexually abused her with a bottle.
Johnny defends himself by saying that he never raped the actress and, in fact, he is the one who was assaulted. After seeing him drinking, Heard reportedly got angry and threw a bottle of vodka at the actor, cutting off part of his finger. It is a fact that, upon arriving at the hospital, Depp told the doctors that he had been injured in accordion doors. “I lied because I didn’t want to reveal that it was Ms. Heard who threw a bottle of vodka at me and took my finger. I didn’t want to get her in trouble”, he told the court.
(Photo of Johnny with his finger bandaged during his trip to Australia, by Brendan Smialowski)
TRIGGER: THE KNIFE IN THE GIFT WRAPPING
During testimony, Amber ended up being put against the wall when talking about her relationship with Depp in 2012. In her speech, the actress says that the year had been troubled, that in many moments she had been beaten and almost hitten by objects thrown at the walls by the then-spouse and that, just halfway through the year, there was a break in the assaults – representing the time when he was sober from alcohol and other drugs.
However, shortly after his testimony, Depp’s lawyer asks that the jury be presented with a peculiar gift that Heard gave Depp the same year: a large knife, inscribed “Hasta la Muerte” (“Until Death,” in Spanish). The fact that the actress presented the actor with a knife while claiming to be assaulted was a negative point for the woman’s defense.“That was the knife you gave the man who beat you as a gift, right Ms. Heard? That’s the knife you gave the man who got drunk and violent with you, right?”, questioned the actor’s defense.
TERROR SCRIPT: DEPP’S MESSAGES ABOUT HEARD
Some messages sent by Depp had scared the jury during the testimony. That’s because some texts written by the actor to his friends, Isaac Baruch and the actor Paul Bettany (Vision, from Marvel Universe), in virtual conversations, were truly frightening. At first, Johnny said he wanted to see “[Amber Heard’s] rotting body decomposing in the fucking trunk of a Honda Civic”. To Bettany, one of the messages read “Let’s drown her before we burn her!!!”, and it was complemented by another: “I will fuck her burned corpse afterward, to make sure she is dead”.
The messages were read aloud by the actress’ attorney, Ben Rottenborn, during the second week of the trial. Isaac Baruch, one of the recipients, confirmed their authenticity but defended Johnny Depp. “Is not fair. It is unclear what she did and what happened to so many people being affected by it. It’s insane how this happened. I have never seen or witnessed anything related to the allegations being made. Never.”, said.
(In another case, Johnny wrote messages in blood and ink on the mirrors of his Australian estate. Photo presented in court: johnny-depp-mirror.jpg)
IMPROVISATION ON THE SCENE: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DIVORCE MONEY?
Amber was once again put against the wall during a deposition when asked about the money she received from Depp after the couple’s divorce in 2016. The actress received the sum of 7 million dollars during the separation process and, at the time, promised that she would donate half the money to the ACLU and a half to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, as she “wanted none of Depp’s money”. However, during the trial, it was proved that the promise was, in case, just a promise.
“Sitting here today, Miss. Heard, you still haven’t donated the $7 million divorce settlement to charity, isn’t that right?”, Amber was questioned by Depp’s lawyer, to which she replied: “Incorrect, I pledged all 7 million of the settlement to charity and I intend to fulfill those obligations”. The actor’s lawyer interrupted her, saying that was not what she asked and, after a bunch of repetitions of the same question, Amber finally said “I have not yet [paid the donations]”.
PLOT TWIST: KATE MOSS ENTERS THE SCENE
Depp’s girlfriend in the 90s, Kate Moss is a British supermodel and businesswoman. Her relationship with the actor lasted a few years and, as in every media relationship, rumors emerged related to it. One of them would be Johnny’s aggression against Moss, who would have been pushed down a ladder by him during a couple’s trip to the Bahamas. Such an event could help to maintain the actor’s image as aggressive and abusive. However, in a cinematic plot twist, Johnny was saved by such rumor – and, in a way, by Amber Heard herself.
During testimony, the actress was recounting the only time she actually hit the actor. In the case, during an argument between the couple, the actress saw Depp advance against her younger sister, Whitney Heard, who was trying to separate the situation. However, in a faux pas, Amber says that “remembered when I heard he also tried to do the same with an old girlfriend, I think Kate Moss”. The fact that she cites Moss in her deposition, the actress inadvertently allowed Depp’s lawyers to call her as a witness. During her speech, which took place online, Kate Moss came to Depp’s defense and denied the rumor. “He never punched me, kicked me, or threw me down any stairs,” said the supermodel.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: WHO IS CAMILLE VASQUEZ?
Camille Vasquez is an associate attorney at Brown Rudnick, a large law firm hired by the actor to carry out his defense. During the Depp x Heard case, Camille ended up stealing the show a few times for her incisive and surgical speaking, being responsible for most of the “tight skirts” in which the actress was put. The sharp and almost aggressive way in which the lawyer interrogated Heard resulted in a fan pavilion, turning Vasquez into a celebrity on social media.
During closing remarks, Camille spoke about other women and the situation Amber brought to trial. “What Mrs. Heard testified in this courtroom is the story of many women. But the overwhelming evidence and the weight of that evidence show that it is not his story. It is not Mrs. Heard’s story. It was an act of profound cruelty, not just for Mr. Depp, but for actual survivors of domestic abuse. Ms. Heard presents herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse. It was false, defamatory, and caused irreparable harm”, the attorney said.
THE END… BUT WHAT ABOUT THE POST-CREDITS SCENE?
The jury has been finalized; however, the social media jury is far from over. Much more than a fight between the actors, the respective fan clubs went into a war on sites like Twitter and Tiktok, mainly highlighting attacks by Depp fans against Heard. The fact is, we’ll never know what happened during the actors’ troubled relationship, with the main theory being a mutually toxic and abusive relationship. However, the internet jury overwhelmingly chose Depp’s side, undeniably putting Heard in the position of a victim of cyberbullying.
In the court of public opinion, Heard had already lost even before the final result. Her testimony was widely derided, hashtags calling her a sociopath was trending on Twitter, and a petition to remove her from the upcoming Aquaman movie sequel has, as of June 3, received over 4.4 million signatures. “I think we should be very clear about this: this trial generated a lot of harassment against Amber Heard. It was shocking”, says sociologist specialized in sexual violence, Nicole Bedera. Domestic violence experts like Bedera fear that the deeply negative response to Heard will have repercussions far beyond the trial.
The case leaves the widespread concern that other potential victims of abuse feel more insecure and unsupported by justice, considering all the negative impact brought to Amber’s life after her complaint. Furthermore, it may be that potential abusers find a loophole in the law to turn the tables on their victims, repeating the pattern developed with this trial: we must remember that the case was initiated with a lawsuit brought by Depp against Heard, alleging defamation in an article that doesn’t even mention his name. It must be kept in mind that, regardless of the private life that the couple lived – and that will never be 100% brought to the public, putting in question the veracity of the statements of both actors -, each case of abuse is completely different from the other, and discrediting an alleged victim of violence is also violence.
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The article above was edited by Giullia Cartaxo.
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