The verdict in the case involving actors Johnny Depp, 58, and Amber Heard, 36, was read in Fairfax County, Virginia, at 4:20 pm on Wednesday. Amber was found guilty of statements made in an article written in The Washington Post, in which she accused Depp of abuse. With the decision, the actress will have to compensate her ex-husband in US$ 15 million (equivalent to R$ 71.9 million).
Johnny Depp x Amber Heard: actress is found guilty of defamation and will have to compensate ex-husband. Image: Reuters
Regarding Heard’s lawsuit against Depp, the actor was found guilty on one of three counts. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star will have to pay $ 2 million (equivalent to R$ 9.5 million) in moral damages to his ex-wife.
The jury reached a verdict this Wednesday, after a trial that began on April 11 and ended on the 27th, which generated great repercussion for the troubled relationship experienced by the two as a couple. The jury reached its decision after three days of deliberations and more than 13 hours. In all, there were seven jurors.
The reading of the verdict was scheduled to begin at 4 pm on Wednesday. At this time, Judge Penney Azcarate entered the courtroom but, before allowing the reading, she asked for some forms to be filled out again. With the requirement, the result of the trial was delayed by about 1 hour.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star is asking for $50 million in damages, due to her article on domestic violence published in the “Washington Post” in 2018. The “Aquaman” actress asks for twice as much, but for statements by an ex. – Depp’s attorney calling his report a “hoax”. Each says they were abused during the time they were together.
Depp and Amber had a relationship between 2011 and 2016, between dating, marriage and divorce, which ended in 2017.
The press awaits the reading of the verdict in the case of Johnny Depp x Amber Heard – Photo: Reproduction / TV
the case
Over the course of six weeks, the jury heard a series of depositions, recordings of the ex-couple’s fights, and saw vivid footage of Depp’s bloodied finger after he had the tip mutilated in 2015 in Australia. He said the top of his finger was cut off when Heard threw a bottle of vodka at him. Heard denied it, and said Depp sexually assaulted her that night with a bottle of liquor. She said she only hit him in situations to defend herself or her sister.
Depp denied hitting Heard or any woman and said she was the one who turned violent in their relationship. He said Heard’s allegations cost him “everything”. The actor lost the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in a new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie and was replaced in the “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise, a spin-off of “Harry Potter”.
In his closing arguments in the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, attorney Benjamin Rottenborn, who represents the “Aquaman” actress, pointed out to the jury that if it is found that she has been physically, verbally or emotionally abused just once, that is means that she must win the action. He recalled the testimony of the couple’s counselor who testified that Depp and Heard abused each other during their relationship. For the lawyer, if the jury believes that, then the actor must lose the case.
Lawyer Camille Vasquez, from Depp’s team, asked Heard to take responsibility for his “lies”. She even criticized Heard’s acting skills when rescuing a statement from a former instructor of the actress, that she would have difficulty crying in an interpretation.
Depp lost a libel case less than two years ago against Britain’s The Sun, which branded him a “wife beater”. A London High Court judge ruled that he had repeatedly assaulted Heard. Depp’s lawyers filed the case in the state of Virginia this time, as it is the print site for the “Washington Post”, although the paper is not a defendant.
Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard: 12 memorable courtroom moments
In the US trial, some situations reverberated on the web, such as the accusation of sexual abuse against the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star, the audio of the ‘Aquaman’ actress admitting that she hit him and the interruption of a woman with a baby saying that love the actor
The defamation trial between Johnny Depp , 58, and Amber Heard , 36, came to an end on Friday in the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia, USA. The actors sue each other, each claiming they suffered an abusive, assaulted relationship during their brief, 15-month marriage. Now it’s up to the jury to deliberate and reach a verdict .
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From the start of the trial on April 11, to the closing arguments by Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Rottenborn on May 27, there were a number of defining moments during the course of the hearings. Check out 12 of the most popular:
1. Heard Accused Depp of Sexual Assault the Day He Had His Finger Mutilated
In the case’s opening allegations, attorney Elaine Bredehoft, of Heard’s team, drew attention on the second day of the trial, April 12, by accusing Depp of sexual abuse , marking Heard’s first allegation about it against the actor. Until then, she kept her account within the scope of domestic violence, without entering into a connotation of sexual aggression.
The episode would have taken place, according to Heard, during an argument in March 2015 in Australia, where Depp was filming the fifth film in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise . According to Heard, her ex-husband sexually assaulted her with a bottle. She said she saw him throw a phone at the wall and that, in her perception, this would be her “best guess” about how he had the tip of the middle finger of his right hand severed.
See: Photo of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp hugging after the severed finger incident is displayed in court
At another hearing, Depp’s legal team showed footage of the scene of the fight without any evidence of the alleged phone he had broken. The actor’s attorney, Camille Vasquez, reiterated that Ben King, the house’s manager, testified to not having seen any phones in that state.
Depp had previously testified that he never hit Heard and argued that she was the aggressor in their relationship. He said he lost his fingertip after his ex-wife threw a bottle of vodka at him .
“Blood was gushing out,” Depp said. “I think I went into some kind of… I don’t know what a nervous breakdown looks like, but it’s probably the closest I’ve ever been. Nothing made sense.
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Strong footage of the actor’s finger wound was also shown to the jury, and witnesses from both sides presented their respective arguments to support either Heard’s or Depp’s version.
Johnny Depp’s finger without the tip, which was cut in a fight with Amber Heard in Australia in 2015 – Photo: Twitter @sierragillespie / Law and Cime Network / Reproduction
2. Report of cell phones thrown out the window and feces placed on the bed
Depp testified that feces was found in the couple’s bed in April 2016, around Heard’s 30th birthday. One of her security guards said the actress told him it was “a horrible prank gone wrong”. In court, Depp recounted what it was like when she saw a picture of the droppings a few days after a fight with Heard. He then said he didn’t see her between April 22 and May 21 of that year.
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“It was so out of the box, so bizarre and grotesque, I could only laugh,” he said.
The “Aquaman” actress denied any involvement with the feces and suggested that Depp’s Yorkshire dog, named Boo, was responsible for the area. Depp, however, said that what he saw in the photo could not have been the product of a dog.
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She also said that she didn’t make any kind of mockery that day, adding that she was “in no mood for jokes”. In her version, Depp would have disappeared for days supposedly because of drugs. She said she had planned a dinner party to celebrate her own birthday, but her then-husband did not show up, which frustrated her.
Her displeasure would have sparked an argument, leading to an alleged physical confrontation. Heard said that Depp would have thrown a bottle that pierced a painting she liked, leaving the canvas with a huge hole. The actress also reported that Depp would have thrown her cell phone out the window. She then defenestrated his as well.
3. Audio of Heard admitting to hitting Depp
In the second week of the trial, audio was shown in which Heard admits to hitting Depp. The content of an excerpt of the conversation was translated into Portuguese, with the right to interpretation, by the Brazilian voice actors Gustavo Machado and Thaís Durães. Check out:
4. Discussion between Heard’s lawyer and psychologist invited by Depp’s team about… dumplings
Psychologist Shannon Curry, invited by Depp’s team to analyze Heard, had an unexpected conversation about cookies with the actress’s attorney, Elaine Bredehoft.
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Curry had reported on the encounter he had with Heard on two separate occasions, while presenting his conclusion that she had “borderline and histrionic personality disorders”.
Bredehoft asked the witness why her husband bought cookies for Heard, which would indicate a breach of confidentiality on the part of the psychologist when telling someone else about a patient. Curry, visibly upset, excused herself to clarify what happened “so we can stop talking about the dumplings.” She then explained that her husband did her a favor by picking up the delicacies that day because she was getting ready and didn’t want to be late. In addition, Curry said the work schedule changes when the office receives famous people to preserve them, so the staff are relocated to another space — and the husband knew that day would be like this.
“He brought the dumplings back home, I brought them to the office, Mrs. Heard and I enjoyed the dumplings together,” Curry said. “I think I made her a comment like, ‘We can thank my husband for buying this for us today’, which means he bought the muffins that ‘we’re now enjoying because of him’.
5. Depp’s attorney’s celebration when Heard mentions Kate Moss
A scene by lawyer Ben Chew, from Depp’s legal team, went viral for generating speculation and theories. In the video, the specific moment of which was highlighted by the Instagram profile “Law and crime”, Chew appears to make a sign of celebration as Heard talked about an alleged fight in the presence of her sister Whitney in 2015. She then said that the episode reminded her of rumors involving her ex-husband and model Kate Moss that he had pushed her down the stairs. Depp and Moss dated from 1994 to 1997. Later in the trial, Moss denied to the jury that she was pushed down the stairs by the actor .
6. Interplay between Johnny Depp and Camille Vasquez
Lawyer Camille Vasquez hugs actor Johnny Depp at the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia, USA on May 17, 2022.
Lawyer Camille Vasquez hugs actor Johnny Depp at the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia, USA on May 17, 2022.
Images of the interaction between Depp and his lawyer, Camille Vasquez, 37, in court, reverberated on social media. Due to the apparent harmony between them, netizens began to wonder if there was something else going on. However, according to the celebrity portal TMZ, the two are not a couple, as Vasquez would be dating a British real estate agent a few months ago.
Furthermore, Vasquez’s professional skills were more than enough to earn him viral posts on the web. A landmark moment was when she raised a series of objections to questions from Elaine Bredehoft of Heard’s team as the actress testified.
A compilation posted on TikTok has surpassed 36 million hits so far, gathering mixed challenges to Bredehoft, justified as rumours, conduct of the deposition and lack of substance in the question. Amid so many roadblocks, Heard’s lawyer even said “I’m trying, I’m trying” as she tried to rephrase her questions.
7. Audience interruption by woman who says she loves Depp: ‘this baby is yours’
During the May 23 hearing, a woman — with a baby in her arms — drew attention by screaming that she loved Depp and that the child would be his . She was eventually kicked out of court.
“Johnny, I love you!” Our souls are connected. This baby is yours! she exclaimed.
According to reports, Johnny Depp waved at the woman as she was pulled out by security. The fact was described by the channel “Law & Crime Network”.
8. Display of photos of Depp allegedly passed out from drug use
Heard took photos to court that would show Depp’s condition after drug use or alcohol consumption . The actress said that she recorded those images because no one would believe he had a chemical dependency. According to her, this factor drove the alleged aggressions. Depp said, however, that he has no problems with alcohol, but admitted that he has had prescription drugs.
“He would pass out, get sick, lose control of himself. People would pick it up and clean it and straighten it out,” Heard reported. “[It was] just him and his staff and everyone who took care of him against my word, so I started taking pictures [to] say, ‘Look, this is happening.
9. Heard’s attorney’s ‘objection’ request after he himself asked a witness a question
During the testimony of Ben King, responsible for the house in Australia where Depp had his finger mutilated, one of Heard’s lawyers, Adam Nadelhaft, asked the judge for an “objection”, generating a fair exit, as he himself had been the author of the question. And Magistrate Penney Azcarate didn’t let that go unnoticed, causing laughter in the courtroom.
“You didn’t know what could damage Mr. Depp while there on March 8th (2015), correct? asked Nadelhaft.
As King claimed that a doctor had told him that Depp suffered an injury to one of his fingers, Nadelhaft soon interrupted his speech to indicate that it was a rumor-based statement, saying “objection” – a verbal request at US hearings that lawyers often use. do to try to prevent a question from being directed to a particular witness, which may be accepted or denied by the judge, depending on whether or not there is legal support to be made.
10. Video of Depp hitting kitchen cabinets
A video of Depp hitting furniture and smashing his kitchen , while apparently intoxicated, was shown in court by Heard’s team. The actress said that she filmed the incident because she was scared. Depp, in turn, said that he did hit the lockers, but did not attack his ex-wife.
“I didn’t try to intimidate Mrs. Heard… If she was intimidated, why was she filming? If she was scared to death, why didn’t she leave? asked Depp.
11. Faces and mouths of the psychiatrist invited by the Heard team
Psychiatrist Spiegel, called by Heard’s team to testify about Depp’s behavior, drew attention for his expressions not only by those in the courtroom, considering that it is possible to see some laughter among those present, but also by users of social networks. .
A scene that shows Depp and his lawyer, Ben Chew, reacting to Spiegel’s faces and mouths, ended up inspiring memes, like the video below, which puts captions in place of their “thoughts” at that moment, such as “what’s wrong with he?” Or just “??” to highlight the duo’s confused reaction.
For Spiegel, Depp has shown “consistent behavior” with someone who has “substance use disorder” as well as a “perpetrator of domestic violence”. Because this analysis was done without meeting Depp in person, criticism soon followed for his statement that it violated an American Psychiatric Association policy.
In court, Spiegel was questioned by lawyer Wayne Dennison, from Depp’s team, about one of his lines, in which he said he took his performance in “Pirates of the Caribbean” as the basis for his analysis. Then Spiegel said he was wrong to say that, apologized and said it was a mistake.
Then came the question responsible for the scene that went viral. Dennison wanted to know if Spiegel had watched the movie “The Chocolate Factory” (2005).
“Willy Wonka doesn’t matter to you?” the lawyer asked, referring to the name of Depp’s character, as the psychiatrist’s mouth opened as he thought about it aroused.
After a moment of reflection, Spiegel asked the judge if it was necessary to answer, to which she replied in the affirmative.
“No, you’ll be glad to know I didn’t see Willy Wonka,” the witness finally said.
12. Barbs exchange between former TMZ employee and Heard’s lawyer
In the final week of the trial, Morgan Tremaine testified about the video of Depp banging on kitchen cabinets, first released on the web in 2016 by TMZ, where he worked. At one point, attorney Bredehoft, representing Heard, asks whether Tremaine knew the trial was being streamed online. He claims to have knowledge about the cameras and then the lawyer accused him of being there to get his “15 minutes of fame”. The response he gave later, accusing Bredehoft of the same intention, was a phenomenon on social media.
“I have nothing to gain from this. I’m actually kind of putting myself on target for TMZ, a very litigious organization, and I’m not looking for 15 minutes here, but you’re free to speculate. I could say the same thing about you, taking Amber Heard as a client – replied Tremaine, whose appearance has been compared on social media to that of the character Draco Malfoy, from the “Harry Potter” saga.
The lawyer then asked him if he didn’t think that was “not very argumentative”, to which the former TMZ employee replied that he didn’t, because for him it was “purely logical”.