Depp-Heard trial, that’s why the star won (but the ex-wife doesn’t fit)

Johnny Depp won the libel case against Amber Heard because, according to the jurors, the actress acted with “actual malice”, that is, she accused her ex-husband, knowing she was lying, with the sole purpose of harming him. Does the “trial of horrors” end here? No, because she is ready to appeal …

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Why did Johnny Depp win the libel suit against Amber Heard after six weeks of trial (“of the horrors”)? Because the jury in Fairfax, Virginia, ruled that yes, the actress defamed the star in the now infamous editorial in the Washington Post of 2018, in which – although not naming him openly – she said she had suffered violence and abuse for ex-husband’s hand? The reason for the sentence is entirely in the “actual malice” (actual malice): that is, according to the jurors, Heard lied about her marriage affairs, knowing he was lying, only to cause harm to her ex-husband. In America about public figures (not about private citizens) one can say and write almost everything without fear of legal consequences. Unless a jury recognizes that the criticisms were made, in fact, with “actual malice”, with actual malice. Lying knowing that you are lying for the sole purpose of doing damage to the target. For this reason, on paper, the lawsuit brought by Depp seemed, to many analysts, impossible to win. Instead, Depp’s lawyers, led by Camille Vasquez, did it. Johnny won and his ex-wife was sentenced to pay $ 15 million in compensation (he had asked for $ 50). This figure was then reduced by the judge to almost 10.4 million.

Read also: Case Johnny Depp and Amber Heard: the turning point

Many analysts now wonder how much the choice to broadcast the hearings in live streaming has influenced the outcome of the trial. And how much influenced the “jury” of social networks. Especially on Tik Tok the star of The Pirates of the Caribbean had won well before the sentence. Most of the videos, on the social network, have proposed clips of the depositions in court presented in a way that arouses empathy and sympathy towards Johnny, ridiculing and humiliating Amber.

Johnny Depp wins

On June 1, with Johnny’s victory, one of the most violent trials in the Hollywood world ended. But perhaps the word “end” is only provisional. Amber, after having publicly expressed all her “disappointment” at the sentence – “I am heartbroken that the mountain of evidence was not enough to counter my ex-husband’s disproportionate power” – is ready to appeal. A spokesperson for the actress, Alafair Hall, told the New York Times. While Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, speaking to NBC, said that the actress is “absolutely unable to pay the $ 10.4 million in compensation.” According to Bredehoft, Amber “has been demonized.” And the court was “transformed into a zoo”, put under pressure by the trial that took place on social media: “They couldn’t escape it, how did they do it? They went home every night, they had families, family members were on social media. It was impossible not to be influenced. I was against the cameras inside the court, but it was useless».

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The lawyer now has a certainty: «It’s not over here. Because most cases of defamation are decided on appeal». The trial has just ended, but apparently the six weeks of hearings in which Depp and Heard fed the world the gruesome backstory of a nightmarish wedding of violence, blood and degradation, were just the beginning …

Author: Michael Zippo
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-zippo-9136441b1
[email protected]

Sources: VanityFair, IO Donna