Celebrity News June 13, 2022
Amber Heard Breaks Her Silence on the Johnny Depp Trial Verdict
Amber Heard is speaking out in the wake of her defamation trial with Johnny Depp.
Heard sat down with “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie for an interview that will air later this week.
A first look at the segment reveals that Amber talks about both the verdict and the way she was represented on social media.
Depp was suing Heard for $50 million. She was countersuing him for $100 million.
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View StoryThe jury found in favor of Depp, agreeing that it was defamation when Heard claimed she was a domestic abuse survivor in a 2018 op-ed. He was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The judge immediately reduced the $5 million figure to $350,000, in line with a Virginia statutory cap.
Amber also had a partial win in her countersuit, as the jury awarded her $2 million in compensatory damages for a statement made by one of Depp’s lawyers.
During the “Today” sit down, Savannah told Amber, “There is no polite way to say it: the jury looked at the evidence you presented, they listened to your testimony, and they did not believe you. They thought you were lying.”
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View StoryHeard replied, “How could they make a judgment? How could they not come to that conclusion? They had sat in those seats and heard over three weeks of nonstop, relentless testimony from paid employees, and — toward the end of the trial — randos.”
Savannah asked, “So you don’t blame the jury?”
Amber insisted, “I don't blame them. I actually understand. He's a beloved character and people feel they know him. He's a fantastic actor.”
Guthrie pointed out that the jury’s job is to “not be dazzled by that,” and yet they still didn’t believe Amber’s testimony and evidence.
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View StoryThe actress responded, “Again, how could they, after three and a half weeks of testimony about how I was a noncredible person, not to believe a word that came out of my mouth?”
There was a lot of vitriol for Amber on social media during the trial, and Amber told Savannah, “I don't care what one thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors. I don't presume the average person should know those things. And so I don't take it personally. But even somebody who is sure I'm deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I'm lying, you still couldn't look me in the eye and tell me that you think on social media there's been a fair representation. You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.”
Heard’s interview will air first on NBC News’ “Today” on Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15, with more of the sit-down airing on Friday, June 17, at 8 p.m. on “Dateline.”
Attorneys for Johnny and Amber have spoken with Guthrie since the trial.
Depp’s lawyers Camille Vasquez and Ben Chew both appeared on “Today” with Vasquez, saying Johnny had “an overwhelming sense of relief" after the verdict.
Chew added, “We had ultimate confidence in Johnny and the jury and the facts of this case and you can only hope that the jury will see it, and in this case they did and the verdict was overwhelmingly in his favor.”
In a separate interview, Amber’s lawyer Elaine Charlson Bredhoft gave her take on why Amber didn’t win, saying, "That's because she was demonized here. A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused."
Savannah asked if the actress would appeal. Bredhoft answered, “Absolutely, and she has some excellent grounds for it.”
Guthrie later asked Depp’s lawyers about the appeal, and Chew said, "We feel very confident that there are no errors that would justify any kind of successful appeal.”
Last week, Depp also spoke out, sending a message to his supporters.
In his first-ever TikTok post, he shared a montage video of himself waving to adoring fans and working on his music.
He included the message, “To all of my most treasured, loyal and unwavering supporters. We’ve been everywhere together, we have seen everything together. We have walked the same road together. We did the right thing together, all because you cared. And now, we will all move forward together. You are, as always, my employers and once again I am whittled down to no way to say thank you, other than just by saying thank you. So, thank you. My love & respect, JD.”
Amber's spokesperson responded to his TikTok in a statement to People, saying, "As Johnny Depp says he's 'moving forward,' women's rights are moving backward. The verdict's message to victims of domestic violence is ... be afraid to stand up and speak out."