Amber Heard was “demonized” by her ex-husband Johnny Depp’s authorized group and excoriated on social media throughout a sensational defamation trial that ended with a jury ordering her to pay Depp $15 million, Heard’s lawyer mentioned Thursday.
Elaine Bredehoft, considered one of Heard’s lead attorneys through the trial, mentioned she believes the jury was influenced by a relentless barrage of social media posts condemning her and supporting Depp. She mentioned Heard plans to attraction.
“These people were giving her death threats. They threatened to microwave her baby. This is the kind of social media she was getting,” Bredehoft mentioned on “CBS Mornings.”
“It was like a Roman coliseum is the best way to describe the atmosphere here. And I have to believe that the jury, even though they’re told not to go and look at anything, you know, they have weekends, they have families, they have social media,” she mentioned.
Paul Nabinett (9) holds up an indication as supporters of actor Johnny Depp react as the decision is introduced in Depp’s libel lawsuit in opposition to ex-wife Amber Heard. (Credits: AP)
Bredehoft additionally mentioned some proof that was allowed in an analogous defamation lawsuit that Depp misplaced within the UK was suppressed within the lawsuit he filed in Virginia. In the UK case, the choose discovered that Depp assaulted Heard on a dozen events.
“We weren’t allowed to tell the jury this,” Bredehoft mentioned on NBC’s “Today” present. “So what did Depp’s team learn from this? Demonize Amber. And suppress the evidence.”
Supporters of actor Johnny Depp react as the decision is introduced in Depp’s libel lawsuit in opposition to ex-wife Amber Heard. (Credits: AP)
The verdict handed down Wednesday in Fairfax County Circuit Court discovered that Depp had been defamed by three statements in an op-ed written by Heard in 2018 through which she mentioned she was an abuse sufferer. The jury awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, however the choose decreased the punitive damages award to $350,000 below a state cap.
Depp legal professional Camille Vasquez mentioned Wednesday that the decision “confirms what we have said from the beginning, that the claims against Johnny Depp are defamatory and unsupported by any evidence.”
AMBER HEARD DOESN’T HAVE $10 MILLION
When requested on “Today” whether or not Heard has the cash to pay the $10.35 million, Bredehoft mentioned, “Oh, no, absolutely not.”
The jury additionally awarded Heard $2 million in her countersuit, concluding that she was defamed by a lawyer for Depp who accused her of making an in depth hoax surrounding the abuse allegations.
The case captivated viewers who watched gavel-to-gavel tv protection, together with impassioned followers on social media who dissected the actors’ mannerisms, their wardrobe decisions and their use of alcohol and medicines.
Actor Amber Heard speaks to her legal professional throughout a listening to within the courtroom on the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax. (Credits: AP)
While the case was ostensibly about libel, a lot of the testimony targeted on whether or not Heard had been bodily and sexually abused, as she claimed. Heard enumerated greater than a dozen alleged assaults, together with a battle in Australia — the place Depp was capturing a “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequel — through which Depp misplaced the tip of his center finger and Heard mentioned she was sexually assaulted with a liquor bottle.
Depp mentioned he by no means hit Heard and that she was the abuser, although Heard’s attorneys highlighted years-old textual content messages Depp despatched apologizing to Heard for his behaviour in addition to profane texts he despatched to a good friend through which Depp mentioned he wished to kill Heard and defile her useless physique.
Amber Heard and her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, attend the Depp v Heard defamation trial, at Fairfax, Virginia. (Credits: Reuters)
Both performers emerge with unclear prospects. Depp, a three-time greatest actor Oscar nominee, was a bankable star till current years, with credit together with taking part in Capt. Jack Sparrow within the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies. However, he misplaced that function and was changed in a “Fantastic Beasts” spinoff.
Heard’s performing profession has been extra modest, and her solely two upcoming roles are in a small movie and the upcoming “Aquaman” sequel due out subsequent yr.
Brett Ward, a household regulation legal professional in New York, mentioned Depp made himself a extra plausible witness by admitting to drug and alcohol use and that he might be a troublesome particular person. But he mentioned Depp additionally ran the chance of constructing these moments extra memorable to the general public than his movie work.
“He says he did this for his children. Having watched the whole trial, I don’t think that he did any service to his children by airing all of this dirty laundry,” Ward mentioned.
