Johnny Depp’s defamation trial has jurors scratching their heads over ‘one thing’

Last Updated on 06/01/2022 by てんしょく飯

What will the verdict be in Johnny Depp’s libel trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard? The jury was also told that “something” was bothering them.

What will be the verdict in the trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard?

The trial in which actor Johnny Depp, known for his “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series, is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard, has finally finished its final arguments, and the jury is now deliberating. No verdict has been announced yet, but according to ABC News, there are several possible verdicts that could be rendered.

As many of you know, Johnny is suing Amber for $50 million in damages for defamation for accusing her of domestic violence by him in a 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post, in which she did not name him but identified him as Johnny. Amber also sued Johnny for $50 million in damages, claiming that her accusations of domestic violence were defamatory. Amber, on the other hand, countersued Johnny for $100 million, claiming that she was severely affected by the smear campaign he orchestrated to damage her career and reputation.

Below is the verdict that may be rendered.

1. Johnny wins the case. Amber is ordered to pay $50 million in damages.
2. Johnny wins at trial. However, the amount of damages Amber is ordered to pay is reduced to $XX million instead of the $50 million she sought.
3. Johnny loses the case at trial.
4. Amber wins her counterclaim. Johnny is ordered to pay $100 million in damages.
5. Amber wins her counterclaim. However, the amount of damages Johnny is ordered to pay is reduced to $XX million instead of the $100 million he was seeking.
6. finds that both Amber and Johnny defamed each other, or that neither party was defamed.
7. the jury is unable to reach a unanimous verdict and the judge declares a mistrial.

For the past month and a half, the main issue in the trial was whether Johnny had violated Amber. Johnny denies any physical or sexual abuse, claiming that the story was made up by Amber to discredit himself.

The jury’s deliberations will focus not only on whether there was abuse, but also on whether Amber’s editorial is legally considered defamatory. While the editorial itself focuses on policy issues related to domestic violence, Johnny’s lawyer points to two passages in the article (*explained below) and a defamatory online headline about Johnny.

The editorial is titled “Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. This has to change,” in which Amber says Two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic violence and took the wrath of this culture in stride,” she wrote. Johnny’s lawyer said it is clear that this is a reference to Johnny, as Amber publicly accused him of domestic violence in 2016, about two years before she wrote the article. Amber also states in the op-ed, “I was in the rare position to see, in real time, the system that protects men accused of abuse.”

Amber does not mention Johnny’s name in this editorial, but Johnny’s lawyer said, “She didn’t mention his name. Because there was no need to do so. Everyone knew exactly who and what Ms. Heard was talking about,” he told the court. Amber’s lawyer, on the other hand, pointed out that since Amber did not write the headline of the article, she could not be held liable. He further stated that the two sentences pointed out by Johnny’s lawyer were not about the allegations of abuse themselves, but about how Amber’s life had changed after making the allegations.

In his closing argument, Amber’s attorney argued that even if the jurors were inclined to believe Johnny’s claim that he never abused Amber, Amber had a First Amendment right to a public forum and therefore Johnny could not prevail at trial. In response, Johnny’s lawyer argued that there are limits to Amber’s freedom of speech and that “the First Amendment to the United States Constitution does not protect lies that hurt and defame people.

During deliberations, jurors asked questions about Amber’s editorial.

According to ABC News, during the discussion, Judge Penny Azcarate received questions from the jurors about the editorial that triggered the trial. According to ABC News, during the discussion, Judge Penny Azcarate was questioned by jurors about the editorial that led to the trial.

The jurors’ questions related to the aforementioned article’s headline “Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. This has to change. ABC News reported that they wanted to know whether the question of whether the headline was false concerned the headline of the article itself or the editorial as a whole. In response, Judge Azcarate said that he was aware that the statement in question was the title and not the entire article.

The jurors will continue their deliberations on June 1 local time, and if they do not reach a conclusion on that day, the announcement of the verdict will be further postponed.