Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial news summary: 6 June 2022
Depp v Heard: live updates
Depp v Heard verdict: headlines
- Heard found to have defamed ex-husband Depp in 2018 op-ed in which she described herself as "public figure representing domestic abuse"
- Depp awarded $10.35m in damages; Heard to receive $2m after winning on one count of defamation counter-suit
- Heard to appeal and "has some excellent grounds", lawyer says
- Depp expected to return as pirate Jack Sparrow
Watch video of verdict at Fairfax County Court:
It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously
On Wednesday 1 June, the $50-million defamation case brought by Johnny Depp against Amber Heard for an opinion piece she published in The Washington Post came to an end. The court’s decision was much lower than initially demanded by Depp’s legal team as it ordered Heard to pay $10.35 million to him in damages.
There was also, though, a requirement on Depp to pay $2 million to his former wife for articles written by his publicist in The Daily Mail. Read more.
Depp feels the love in England
Johnny Depp has been performing with Jeff Beck in the UK and has been getting a lot of support after his trial win over Amber Heard. Depp lost a libel trial against The Sun tabloid two years ago but the verdict among his fans in the UK is unanimous. Depp has been cheered at his hotel, in a pub and pretty much everywhere he goes, according to TMZ.
The jury in the defamation case brought by Johnny Depp against Amber Heard for an opinion piece she published in The Washington Post has ended. The court has ordered Amber Heard to pay $10.35 million in damages while also requiring Depp to pay $2 million to Heard for articles written by his publicist in The Daily Mail.
In response to questions from the media over whether Heard is in a position to make these payments to Depp, her attorney, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, answered, “Oh, no. Absolutely not.”
These comments were made during an interview with The Today Show. Bredehoft also reported that Heard plans to appeal the ruling but did not speak about her financial options if she is obligated to make payments in the meantime.
On Thursday, an attorney for the Aquaman star confirmed that Heard would be appealing the jury’s decision, saying that “she has some excellent grounds for it.” Although there had been talk as we awaited the jury’s verdict of a potential appeal if she lost, the general sense was that this would be difficult unless significant new evidence came into play.
ICYMI: Stenographer on Depp hug video
A couple of days ago, Judy Bellinger, the stenographer in the Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial in Virginia, sat down with Law & Crime to explain why a video emerged of her hugging Depp.
There were rumours online that Bellinger was partying with the actor, but she says she encountered him when she picked up her equipment from Depp's legal team, who had collected her things from the courtroom after she found herself locked out.
AS USA's Jeffrey May looks at what the future might hold for Depp and Heard following their defamation trial.
Depp and friends spend $60,000 at UK curry house
Depp reportedly ran up a sizeable bill at a curry house in Birmingham on Sunday.
Together with musician Jeff Beck and around 20 other guests, Depp spent around $60,000 at the upmarket Varanasi restaurant, the Daily Mail reports. According to the Mail, the five-figure bill included bottles of champagne costing just under $10,000 a pop.
Depp and Beck are due to perform at Birmingham's Symphony Hall on Monday.
"What Depp v Heard means for #MeToo" - more recommended listening
In today’s episode of the New York Times podcast the Daily, host Michael Barbaro talks to reporter Julia Jacobs about what the verdict in the Depp v Heard trial means for the #MeToo movement.
In a piece in the Times on Thursday, Jacobs discussed the impact Depp’s win over Heard will have on other men accused of abuse or misconduct. She spoke to First Amendment law professor Nicole Ligon, who told her that others may be encouraged to take such allegations to trial.
“I do think that well-resourced individuals who feel slighted by speech that embarrassed or criticized them in some way may feel emboldened by this verdict,” Ligon said.
"A tale of two trials" - recommended listening
If this episode of Law & Crime's Objections podcast, host Adam Klasfeld talks to two experts about the differences between the legal systems in the US, where Depp won his defamation case against Amber Heard, and the UK, where he lost his libel battle with the newspaper the Sun.
As Amber Heard faces up to the prospect of having to pay Johnny Depp multi-million-dollar damages, AS USA's Jeffrey May looks at the Aquaman star's net worth.
Depp's Birmingham night out
As you'll be more than aware, Depp has been performing in the United Kingdom ever since the trial ended, getting his groove on with Jeff Beck days before the jury reached its verdict.
Beck is performing at Birmingham's Symphony Hall tonight and it looks likely Depp will join him after he was spotted at a popular local restaurant last night.
Dayna Farrington reports on how that went down.
I really didn’t watch it because I was too busy doing Snoop Dogg.
The life of Snoop Dogg is overwhelming at times but I pray that everything is beautiful and everybody in life can learn to get along and be better with or without each other.
Johnny Depp’s libel win in the US versus Amber Heard and defeat in the UK against The Sun runs counter to received wisdom and precedent.
The US legal system favours defendants in defamation cases (in this case Amber Heard) so Depp’s win will have come as a surprise to some. Dominic Ponsford looks at some of the reasons.
Depp expected for another Sparrow adventure
According to an insider at Disney, Johnny Depp will likely return as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
“I absolutely believe post-verdict that Pirates is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Capt. Jack back on board,” the former Disney exec, who wasn’t named, told People.
“There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture.”
What does Depp-Heard verdict mean for #MeToo
Since the jury ruled in favour of Depp, there has been impassioned debate about what exactly the outcome means for the #MeToo movement.
It raises the question: If people being accused of sexual assault can potentially win defamation cases in court, what does that mean for the accused — and the accusers — moving forward?
Be aware that this episode from the NYT contains strong language and details of a sexual assault accusation.
As expected for a trial which was so public, news and social media has been all over Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s libel trial as if viewing a Roman gladiatorial arena. Six weeks of vitriol, accusation and counter-accusation, as well as mudslinging from commentators, turned the libel trial into a broader discussion of domestic abuse and culpability in what was clearly a very dysfunctional relationship, to put it lightly.
Social media could prove to have been a major factor in the trial. On TikTok, the hashtag #justiceforjohnnydepp got about 19 billion views alone. The jury was instructed not to read about the case online, but they were not sequestered and they were allowed to keep their phones. With so many stories flying around the internet and newspapers, including from us, could a jury keep away from the reports?
GoFundMe removes fake $1m Heard campaign
Crowdfunding site GoFundMe has taken down a fake $1 million campaign claiming that its goal was to help Amber Heard pay the damages awarded to Johnny Depp.
"A spokesperson for GoFundMe says they were able to flag the profile quickly - before a substantial amount of money was raised," TMZ reports.
Depp v Heard verdict concerns domestic violence experts
The director of training at the Houston Area Women’s Center has told an interview with UK newspaper the Guardian that she hopes the outcome of the Johnny Depp v Amber Heard defamation trial doesn’t deter sufferers of domestic violence from coming forward.
“Just because the jury decided that way, doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen,” Michelle Sacks told the Guardian. “I think that’s really important to kind of get across - just to believe anyone that may disclose something to you.
"And if you know that someone is struggling, just let them know that they didn’t deserve it, that it’s not their fault, and that there are services available.”
Full Guardian article: Domestic violence experts lament fallout from Depp-Heard trial
Amber Heard will "absolutely" appeal
Amber Heard's lawyer Elaine Bredehoft told an interview with the Today Show on Thursday that the actor "absolutely" intends to appeal, declaring that she has "some excellent grounds" to challenge the verdict.
“There was so much evidence that did not come in," she said.
Complaining that her client was "demonised" in the trial in Virginia, Bredehoft added: “A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused.”
Full story: Heard lawyer sees "excellent grounds" for appeal
Bredehoft also said that Heard cannot afford the damages awarded to Depp, replying "oh, no, absolutely not" when asked by host Savannah Guthrie if the Aquaman star has the funds to pay her ex-husband.
See also: Can Heard afford to pay Depp?
In this video, AS USA's Jennifer Bubel takes a look back at some of the defining moments of the six-week-long defamation trial.
Depp v Heard, live updates: welcome
Good morning and welcome to AS USA's daily live blog on the reaction to last Wednesday's verdict in the Depp v Heard defamation case.
A seven-person jury at Fairfax County Court, Virginia, ruled that Amber Heard defamed former husband Johnny Depp in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she described herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse".
Depp was awarded damages of $10.35m, but must also pay Heard $2m after she won on one count of her counter-suit against the Pirates of the Caribbean actor.
The ripples continue...