Depp Vs. Heard Trial

by Zharia Ashley

There has recently been an explosion of coverage on the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial. Johnny Depp is an American actor, producer, and musician. He has starred in a multiplicity of movies including "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Edward Scissorhands," and "A Nightmare On Elm Street." Johnny Depp, 58, filed a defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, 26, in 2019 about an op-ed Amber wrote covering abuse. Depp felt the defamation charge was suitable as he believes the op-ed ruined his career and opportunities. 

The six-week-long trial began on April 12th, 2022. Leaked moments of the trial stretch from text messages sent by Depp and recording of arguments between the couple. 

Depp and Heard married in 2015 and Heard filed for divorce just 15 months later. In the months following the divorce Heard filed a restraining order and claimed she had been abused by Depp. Depp’s law team claimed that the allegations were fallacious and were said in order to gain a greater amount of money from the divorce. Following this, Heard requested $50,000 a month in spousal support. The ex-couple settled outside of the court for $7 million and Heard says that she donated the money to charity. After the divorce was settled the pair released a joint statement that said, “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love."

Recently, Depp filed a $50 million lawsuit against his ex-wife as a result of an article she wrote. Although Heard did not name anyone specific, it could be argued that it is clear her recollection of abuse is referring to her former husband. Heard discussed topics such as the treatment of women in sexual assault cases and has spoken publicly regarding domestic abuse. According to Depp, he lost a large role and sum of money several days later when he was dropped from the "Pirates Of The Caribbean” franchise. It was presumed that the article written by Heard was the reason for this. Depp has since commented on the situation and said, “I would be a real simpleton to not think that there was an effect on my career based on Ms. Heard’s words, whether they mentioned my name or not."

It is important to note that this is the second time the couple has brought their problems to the court of law. A similar trial took place in the UK in 2020. The trial lasted 16 days and some allegations from that trial have been brought to the current as well. The trial consisted of Depp suing the Sun’s publisher for publishing a headline that referred to him as a “wife-beater." Heard testified in the trial and made a whopping 14 allegations against Depp. Depp lost the case as 12 of the allegations were ruled true. 

As a result of the most recent lawsuit filed by Depp, Heard filed a $100 million lawsuit against Depp for defamation. Heard’s backing on this lawsuit is that Depp defamed her when his legal team referred to the claims she made as a “sexual violence hoax” and “fake." 

Both Heard and Depp have accused each other of domestic abuse. Yet, both Heard and Depp deny the other allegations. Depp testified that he never reached “the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way nor have I ever struck any woman in my life." Although this statement may be controversial, followers of the trial must keep in mind it has previously been proven true in court that he has engaged in abusive behavior. Following his testimony, Depp recalled an instance where Heard had thrown a glass bottle at him resulting in a severe injury to his finger. In opposition to this, text messages were revealed that Depp sent in which he said “I cut the top of my finger off…what should I do?!?!." In addition to this, Heard states that he hit it on a wall. Witnesses have testified on behalf of Depp saying that he would never cut his finger off, especially not his middle finger as Depp is a guitarist and is aware that could ruin his ambitions. Another stated that those text messages are being misinterpreted as this is Johnny"s dark humor. 

Various pieces of evidence were brought to the court in defense of Heard. Evidence such as text exchanges where Depp “joked” about killing his wife and calling her cruel things. Another thread of text messages was brought to the attention of the court where Depp admitted to his extensive use of drugs and alcohol. 

There have been rumors of potential witnesses on both sides of the case. Social media broke when they caught wind that Elon Musk may be a potential witness on behalf of Heard as Heard allegedly confided in him about the abuse. Another potential witness that may take the stand is Paul Bettany on behalf of Depp. Paul allegedly had a conversation over texts with Depp in which he condoned Heard’s violence throughout the relationship. 

With all of the facts in mind, it becomes hard to decide which side one is on. This trial continues to surprise fans and critics. Who is lying? What is the truth? What will the people decide? 

Citations

FinnisReporter, A., & Reporter. (2022, April 28). When the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial is set to end, and when to expect a verdict. inews.co.uk. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/people/johnny-depp-trial-when-end-amber-heart-court-case-how-long-verdict-date-1599627

Heard, A. (2018, December 19). Opinion | Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence - and faced our culture"s wrath. That has to change. The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ive-seen-how-institutions-protect-men-accused-of-abuse-heres-what-we-can-do/2018/12/18/71fd876a-02ed-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html

Mayberry, C. (2022, April 27). Johnny Depp, Amber Heard trial live stream: How to watch court testimony. Newsweek. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.newsweek.com/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-live-steam-how-watch-court-testimony-1701537

NBCUniversal News Group. (2022, April 19). "I am not some maniac": Johnny Depp testifies in defamation trial against Amber Heard. NBCNews.com. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/johnny-depp-take-stand-defamation-trial-amber-heard-rcna24900

Peterson, D. (2022, April 25). Depp"s text message to doctor: "I cut the top of my middle finger off." We Got This Covered. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://wegotthiscovered.com/news/johnny-depps-text-message-to-doctor-i-cut-the-top-of-my-middle-finger-off/