The legal team of Johnny Depp, Benjamin Chew, and Camille Vasquez, refuted claims made by Amber Heard and some victim advocacy groups on Wednesday that their client was the target of a coordinated effort to rally support for him and that the #MeToo movement would be negatively impacted by their client’s defamation lawsuit victory against his ex-wife.
TOPIC FACTS
Vasquez said on Good Morning America that domestic violence “doesn’t have a gender,” and she urged any victim to come forward.
Chew wouldn’t say anything, but he did say that “this was never about money for” Depp and that “this was about repairing his name” when host George Stephanopoulos asked if a deal could be made so that Heard wouldn’t have to pay Depp any damages if she didn’t appeal the ruling.
Chew said that the fact that people on social media were very interested in the trial and seemed to support Depp mostly did not affect the decision.
Chew and Vasquez said on the Today show that Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft’s, claims that Depp was the target of a coordinated online campaign were “completely false” and “categorically wrong.”
Important Horizons
In a 2018 op-ed Heard penned for the Washington Post, where she referred to herself as a “public victim representing domestic abuse” without mentioning Depp, a jury last week concluded that Heard had defamed the actor. The jury determined that Depp defamed Heard by labeling her allegations of abuse a fake in a statement his attorney prepared. Heard received $2 million in damages, while Depp received $10.3 million. Bredehoft said that Heard couldn’t pay the sentence because she has said she will appeal.
TANGENT
Depp joined TikTok this week, a platform where there was a lot of support for him throughout the trial, and recorded a video thanking his followers and showing footage of those who cheered and held placards for him outside the courthouse. He hinted at a resumed career after the trial by saying, “We will all move forward together.”