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Why is everyone talking about the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial?
Unless you have avoided pop-culture news entirely for the last month, you probably have heard something about actor Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard (Aquaman) for defamation over her article in the Washington Post detailing allegations of physical abuse including sexual abuse. Per Depp’s claim of defamation, he denies the allegations and alternatively has provided evidence that Heard was the aggressor and abuser in the home.
Court TV and the Independent have had live footage of the entire trial thereby completely captivating the world.
The trial is taking place in Fairfax, Virginia just outside of the nation’s Capital (where the Washington Post is headquartered) and people have had a lot to say about it. Drew Berrymore was even forced to apologize by the woke police for speaking the truth by saying how insane the story has become.
But what makes this case so salacious and hotly discussed? Other than the taboo of a female abuser and a man denying abuse allegations so vehemently, there has been quite an array of ~interesting~ and frankly disturbing evidence.
See below the top facts of the case the public can’t get enough of:
- Johnny Depp himself took the stand for a full four days
It’s unusual to see a celebrity take the stand, especially when it included four full days of cross-examination exposing his own shortcomings and having to defend his accusations against Heard.
- Depp testified that Heard cut-off his finger in a rage
She claimed he cut his own finger off/deeply injured it by smashing a phone. He said on the stand he would never do that for the love of guitar playing. He said Heard did it by smashing it with a vodka bottle. Either way a finger was cut off. Johnny also painted on the walls with the blood of his severed finger. SO
- Police officers testified that Heard lied about her injuries in her initial 2016 claims of abuse
Police officers who responded to the call of domestic abuse in 2016 all testified there was no sign of property damage or injury to Heard. Heard posted pictures online of her bruised face and showed up to court with bruises and claimed in a restraining order that Depp had bruised her and damaged property in a rage.
- Heard allegedly revenge pooped in Johnny’s bed
After Depp left Heard (a result of her abuse he claims), multiple witnesses testify that she pooped in his bed including a security guard who Heard told about the incident.
- Videos and recordings were presented showing Depp’s violence
Videos and audio recordings detail Depp acting in rage and with some physical violence at least struggling with Heard and verbally assaulting. The standard of defamation is to prove that Heard’s claims in the Washington Post were not “substantially true” which means the actor must prove that he did not abuse Heard.
- Depp said a lot of nasty things in a lot of texts to famous people
Text messages to his famous friends like Paul Bettany (The Avengers) detail Depp admitting to heavy drinking and “ugliness” with Heard. He also texted his pals that Heard was a “filthy whore” amongst other things.
- A lot of famous people are considered witnesses but dropped out
The witnesses for Heard included James Franco (Pineapple Express), Elon Musk and Ellen Barkin (Animal Kingdom) but the two former have now gotten out of testimony via their legal teams. The witnesses for Depp include Paul Bettany (Avengers).
- The ACLU actually wrote the op-ed which is the subject of the defamation – not Heard
The ACLU ghost wrote Heard’s article which was supposed to be about her own experience with abuse. Further, the ACLU testified they didn’t get fully paid by Heard. (The ethical questionability of the ACLU writing what is supposed to be someone’s first hand abuse account in order to push their own agenda is a subject for another day). Elon Musk also paid the ACLU $500,000 for them to ghost write the article.
