Johnny Depp’s $50m defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard

[czb]

i don't remember the facelift, off to google.

agree that she was super hot in a non-conventional way.

[funky]

^ agreed, I think she looked really bad when she played in Ocean's 11, 12, or whatever movie it was. She looks slightly better, but I'm convinced she would look great if she didn't have that procedure.

[waterslide]

"Amber Alert" is trending on Twitter and everyone thinks it's really funny that there's a child missing while Amber's lawyers are giving their closing arguments. One person said that women get red flags from men, but men should, from now on, get amber alerts from women. And another thinks we should change the name of Amber Alerts because Amber has a "sucky connotation" now.

eta - the Amber Alert might have been a tornado warning or maybe both an amber alert and a tornado warning, but these idiots think it's a sign from GOD that Amber is guilty.  I hope they all have their linen caps, big buckly shoes, and torches ready for when Amber leaves the courtroom.  

[no1novice]

May 27, 2022 17:16:24 GMT waterslide said:

"Amber Alert" is trending on Twitter and everyone thinks it's really funny that there's a child missing while Amber's lawyers are giving their closing arguments. One person said that women get red flags from men, but men should, from now on, get amber alerts from women. And another thinks we should change the name of Amber Alerts because Amber has a "sucky connotation" now.

eta - the Amber Alert might have been a tornado warning or maybe both an amber alert and a tornado warning, but these idiots think it's a sign from GOD that Amber is guilty.  I hope they all have their linen caps, big buckly shoes, and torches ready for when Amber leaves the courtroom.  

Sick bastards.

Amber Heard’s lawyer interrupted by Amber Alert during closing arguments

Amber Heard’s lawyer was interrupted by an apparent Amber Alert as he made closing arguments during the blockbuster defamation trial between the actress and her ex-husband, Johnny Depp.

Attorney Ben Rottenborn was summing up his client’s case Friday morning when several cellphones began sounding the alert, causing a commotion in the courtroom.

As the loud siren sounds blared from phones, Heard turned to look back across the gallery with a confused look on her face.

“There appears to be an Amber Alert,” Judge Penney Azcarate told the court. “People are getting it on their phones that haven’t silenced them.”

It was later determined that the sound was not an Amber Alert — which is intended to notify people of a missing or abducted child — but rather a storm warning for the surrounding area of Fairfax, Virginia.

Regardless, many on social media were amused by the apparent Amber Alert, with some Depp fans cracking jokes.

“How did the entire courtroom not crack up? That was too perfect,” one pundit posted on Twitter.

“The fact an ‘AMBER Alert’ kept going off, interrupting during Rottenborn closing statement is somehow poetic justice. The best director in Hollywood can’t write this s–t,” another chimed in.

“#AMBERALERT on Amber Heard’s closing testimony. I cannot stop laughing. Jury, if you’re looking for a sign, there it is,” a third person tweeted.

It was the latest viral moment in the captivating court case, much of which has played out on social media, where pundits have been sharing TikToks, tweets and memes mocking both Depp and Heard.

In his closing arguments, Rottenborn vigorously defended Heard, saying she had been truthful about the abuse she said she had suffered at Depp’s hands.

Rottenborn referenced vulgar texts purportedly written by Depp, one of which read: “Hopefully that c–t’s rotting corpse is decomposing in the f–king trunk of a Honda Civic.”

In another, he allegedly fantasized about having sex with Heard’s “burnt corpse” to make sure she was dead.

“Ladies and gentlemen, these words are a window into the heart and mind of America’s favorite pirate,” the lawyer declared.

He added: “If Amber was abused by Mr. Depp even one time, then she wins. And we’re not just talking about physical abuse,” he said. It also included “emotional abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse.”

Meanwhile, Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez slammed Heard in her own closing arguments, telling jurors that the actress put on a “performance” during the six-week trial.

Vasquez claims the jury saw Heard “sobbing without tears while spinning elaborate, exaggerated, fantastical” claims of domestic abuse.

The attorney argued that the evidence presented by Heard’s legal team “does not bear out” that the actress had been abused “countless times,” including the fact that there are no medical records documenting her supposed injuries.

“There is nothing,” Vasquez said.

Depp is suing Heard for defamation over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed that the “Aquaman” star wrote, in which she said she was a victim of sexual violence. She did not specifically name Depp in the article, but it was written after Heard filed for a restraining order against her ex-husband in 2016 over abuse allegations.

Depp is seeking $50 million in damages. Heard has filed a $100 million countersuit.  

WTF is wrong with these people?

 Dominic Fike: I fantasize about ‘hot’ Amber Heard ‘beating me up’

Dominic Fike’s mid-concert comments about envisioning “hot” Amber Heard “beating” him up are going viral.

The “Euphoria” star, 26, was performing for college students at Northwestern University Saturday when he said, “Yo, I’m just gonna come straight out and say it. I’m gonna say it. I’m gonna be real with y’all.”

Fike went on to reveal that he thinks the actress, 36, is “hot,” adding, “I don’t know. I know it’s not the popular opinion, and I know it’s not the focus at the moment, dude, but I’ve been having these visions of her.”

The actor and rap-rock artist, who paced the stage as he spoke, clarified that Heard was “beating me up” in his visions.

“I think it’s hot,” he concluded.  

[trixie]

People are STUPID, and they all seem to be on twitter, lol. Some of them actually believe that since Amber "admitted she wrote the op ed about Johnny" he has won the case! When I pointed out that no, he had to prove she defamed him and that he suffered damages because of the op ed. The reply, have you been watching this case at all are you serious??   Sad.

I can only hope the jury understands this is a First Amendment case, and if they follow the law, this is a slam dunk for Amber. Big IF.

I can honestly say I despise Depp now. Not that I was ever a fangirl, but the man is scum.

[beeyotch]

I used to have a promo poster of him in the movie Crybaby on my wall. That means I'm nearly 45 years old and this whole spectacle sickens me. Whenever I dared to say anything against the disgusting maligning of domestic violence victims (even if they may be bad actresses), I've gotten the same "HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING this case at all" bit. As if that were any sort of cogent argument.

People have lost their damn minds on this, just because it's Jack Sparrow and misogyny is more alive than anyone wants to admit. If I'm kind, I assume these people are young and dumb, but sadly, I don't think that accounts for all of it.

[chaz]

Really shows a dumbing down of society.

[waterslide]

It's getting to the point where I don't even know what to say to the point that I just want to respond to everything going on in the world with the vomit emoji. People fucking suck.

[no1novice]

AMBER HEARD
Breaks Down On Stand
I'M GETTING THOUSANDS OF DEATH THREATS!!!

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5/26/2022 8:40 AM PT
Amber Heard says she's no stranger to threats against her life, but she says the death threats are on the rise ever since she and Johnny Depp went to court.

Amber was back on the stand Thursday for day 23 of the trial with her ex-husband ... sobbing on the stage as revealed she gets thousands of death threats every single day from folks who don't like what she has to say about Johnny.

She alleged Johnny's not doing anything to stop the internet trolls who are targeting Amber, insinuating he's almost encouraging it ... and says she just wants Depp to leave her alone.

It's been an emotional testimony from Amber ... she started crying when answering questions about how the drama with Johnny ruined her acting career, and says in those rare moments when she is on a movie set, there are tons of triggers from the allegedly abusive relationship that can derail production.

On the stand she said that someone told her they wanted to put her baby in a microwave. I mean WTF?

Also, what she says holds water…

from popbitch - a UK resource hence the comment linking this to the skeeviest UK Govt in a loooong time.

Unfortunately, despite thinking that AH is telling some/a lot of the truth, that the jury will side with Depp.

Back in 2018, we were approached by a company called Hawthorn Advisors, who were looking to leak some stories to Popbitch about Amber Heard in the hopes we'd run them on behalf of their client. Johnny Depp.

There's nothing particularly astonishing about that, in and of itself. Laundering the reputation of celebs is a lucrative business and we get obvious approaches like that from time to time. The more interesting bit is Hawthorn itself.

At the same time they were courting us, Hawthorn's co-founder Ben Elliot was working another angle, setting up a soft-soap profile for Depp with GQ. How do we know? Because he got himself a little shout out in the body of the piece.

And where is this master of reputation management now? Boris Johnson appointed him Chairman of the Conservative Party in 2019. And no fewer than three former Hawthorn associates currently make up No.10's comms team.

[trixie]

Well, if the jury follows the law and jury instructions, they should find against Depp, like they did in the UK. But, this is a jury and you never know what a jury will do. I don't see how anyone could believe that her op-ed is the sole reason his career tanked, so there really shouldn't be any damages. He has to prove defamation, malice and damages.

I think he's accomplished what he wanted to do so probably doesn't care if he wins or loses.

[MsDark]

His career was tanking long before that op ed because he had become a liability due to his instability (booze, drugs and behavior issues).

But glomming onto another person and then blaming them for your woes is classic narc behavior.

[kittylady]

Putting a baby in a microwave must be the go to threat of the moment - it was only a week ago that Rebekah Vardy made the same comment during her action against Colleen Rooney.

[trixie]

Amber testified that once when he was all fucked up, he held one of the yorkies out the window of a moving car and was howling. Of course they all were afraid he would drop the dog. I think she also said he threatened to put the dog in the microwave. So maybe that's where it came from?

[no1novice]

That is just horrible.


Article from Variety that caught my eye.

Why Was Depp-Heard Trial Televised? Critics Call It ‘Single Worst Decision’ for Sexual Violence Victims

By Gene Maddaus

Millions of people have watched Penney Azcarate, the chief judge of the Fairfax County (Va.) Circuit Court, as she has presided over the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard for the last six weeks.

Azcarate has maintained a low-key presence, accepting or rejecting evidence and occasionally admonishing witnesses to focus on the question. But the most consequential decision Azcarate made may have come weeks before the trial, when she allowed Court TV to operate two pool cameras in the courtroom.

Viewership increased exponentially as the trial went on, according to Law & Crime, which livestreamed the entire thing. When Depp took the stand on Wednesday, live viewership on its channel peaked at 1,247,163 — more than twice the peak during his initial testimony in April. And over the last several weeks, trial clips have become inescapable on social media, as mashups of Depp’s reaction shots have spread around the world.

Viewers have seen gruesome and often harrowing testimony, especially from Heard, who alleged that Depp had sexually assaulted her and attacked her to the point that she feared she would be killed. In her final appearance on the stand on Thursday, Heard said it was “humiliating” to relive those moments in front of cameras. Depp has denied Heard’s allegations and accused her of fabricating an elaborate hoax that destroyed his career.

Heard’s team tried unsuccessfully to exclude the cameras from the trial. At a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 25, attorney Elaine Bredehoft noted that there was already tremendous media attention as well as interest from “fearful anti-Amber networks.”

“What they’ll do is take anything that’s unfavorable — a look,” Bredehoft said. “They’ll take out of context a statement, and play it over and over and over and over again.”

Depp’s lawyer, Ben Chew, welcomed the cameras. He said that Heard had already “trashed” Depp in the media, and should not be allowed to hide at trial.

“Mr. Depp believes in transparency,” Chew said.



Judge Penny Azcarate
AP


In weighing the issue, Azcarate noted that she was getting a lot of media requests, and she had a responsibility to keep the proceedings open to observers. If cameras were not allowed, she worried that reporters would come to the courthouse, potentially creating a hazardous condition there.

“I don’t see any good cause not to do it,” Azcarate said.

Allowing gavel-to-gavel coverage has given viewers the chance to see all the evidence, assess the credibility of the witnesses, and make up their own minds without having anything filtered out by news outlets. But some observers worry that Azcarate’s decision will also have a chilling effect on victims of domestic violence.

“Allowing this trial to be televised is the single worst decision I can think of in the context of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in recent history,” said Michele Dauber, a professor at Stanford Law School. “It has ramifications way beyond this case.”

Michelle Simpson Tuegel, an attorney who has represented victims of sex offenses in high-profile cases, said that her clients often don’t even want their real names used in public court filings. Now, she worries that they will have to fear appearing on a livestream broadcast.

“They see someone who is not only being televised, but is being taken apart in such a hateful way,” she said. “Livestreaming it is really just a way to magnify what survivors are going through. I’m saddened and disgusted by how it is going to create a discourse of scaring people from seeking justice and speaking out about what they’ve been through.”

Under Virginia law, the trial judge has almost total discretion over whether to allow cameras in the courtroom. The statute lists a few instances where cameras are forbidden, however, including the testimony of “victims and families of victims of sexual offenses.”

At the Feb. 25 hearing, Bredehoft argued that Heard is a victim of sexual assault, and that therefore cameras should be disallowed. Azcarate did not accept that reading of the statute, finding the rule does not apply to civil cases.

Cameras are a rarity in Virginia courts, according to several attorneys who practice there. A Fairfax County judge did allow them in the 2013 trial of Julio Blanco Garcia, who was convicted of murdering a 19-year-old woman. But that was an outlier, said Joe King, a criminal defense lawyer based in Alexandria.

King represented Charles Severance, a man who was tried in Fairfax County and convicted of three murders in 2015. The case was locally notorious, but the judge denied broadcast requests, instead allowing only still cameras. King said the judge also denied a media request to broadcast another murder trial that he handled in Alexandria.

“It’s very exceptional in Virginia,” he said. “We’ve always objected to that. There is so much going on in a big trial. I don’t think lawyers need that distraction.”

In 2012, a judge in Charlottesville refused to allow cameras at the trial and sentencing of George Huguely, a UVA lacrosse player who was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend. The judge held that the cameras would have a harmful effect on witnesses and potential jurors in a future civil case. Media organizations appealed the ruling, but the Virginia Supreme Court upheld the judge’s decision.

Attorney Rhonda Quagliana, who represented Huguely, said she was worried that cameras would have made it harder for him to get a fair trial. But she is not opposed to cameras in all cases.

“It’s a tough balance,” she said, noting that she had watched the trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd. “That’s an example of cameras in the courtroom fulfilling a vital purpose. People needed to see that trial. They needed to see the orderly administration of justice.”

Lawrence McClafferty, an attorney based in Fairfax, has been trying a case down the hall from the Depp-Heard trial, and has seen Depp’s supporters waiting outside every day for a glimpse of the actor. He said the commonwealth is not likely to see a similar situation anytime soon.

“Virginia is a conservative place,” he said. “We’re not used to cameras, and it can be intrusive and distracting, and one more thing for a judge to have to worry about. I don’t think we’re going to see a lot more of it.”

[shellee]

May 28, 2022 20:28:42 GMT trixie said:

Amber testified that once when he was all fucked up, he held one of the yorkies out the window of a moving car and was howling. Of course they all were afraid he would drop the dog. I think she also said he threatened to put the dog in the microwave. So maybe that's where it came from?

I don’t believe that for one second. I know that most here are anti Johnny but come on.