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Johnny Depp verdict: Actor’s popularity plummeted after Amber Heard trial, poll shows

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Johnny Depp’s legal team deny ‘victory lap’ after defamation trial win

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Johnny Depp emerged victorious in his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard following three days of deliberations by the jury, which also handed Heard a partial win in her countersuit.

Depp sued Heard for $50m for implying he abused her in a 2018Washington Post op-ed. Although she didn’t name him, he claims her allegations impacted his ability to work. She pursued a $100m counterclaim.

The jury determined Heard defamed Depp on all three counts and awarded him $10m in compensatory damages and $5m in punitive damages. Heard was awarded $2m compensatory damages.

When interviewed, Depp’s lawyers were asked about the possibility of dropping damages and said the case was never about money, but wouldn’t comment further.

The “humbled” actor thanked the jury for giving him his life back. He is currently playing gigs on a UK tour with Jeff Beck. Despite massive social media backing for Depp during the trial, a new poll suggests his popularity dropped after the verdict.

In a statement, Heard expressed “disappointment beyond words” and said she was heartbroken, claiming the verdict was a “setback” for women. She has decided to appeal the verdict and is “unable to pay” the damages.

Johnny Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez shuts down dating rumours with actor

Johnny Depp‘s lawyer Camille Vasquez has once again shut down rumours that she is dating her client.

Depp’s supporters created memes portraying Vasquez as Marvel’s Thor, and even posted TikToks set to romantic music of the pair holding hands and talking closely.

In a recent interview with People, Vasquez addressed the fan and tabloid speculation over whether she was in a romantic relationship with the Pirates of The Caribbean star.

“I guess it comes with the territory of being a woman just doing her job,” she said.

“It’s disappointing that certain outlets kind of ran with it or said that my interactions with Johnny – who is a friend and I’ve known and represented for four-and-a-half years now – that my interactions in any way were inappropriate or unprofessional. That’s disappointing to hear.”

Read more:

Johnny Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez shuts down dating rumours with actor

‘I’m Cuban and Colombian. I’m tactile. What do you want me to say? I hug everyone. And I’m not ashamed about that,’ lawyer said

Peony Hirwani10 June 2022 08:00

Depp hired lawyer as consultant for trial after seeing her in Making a Murderer

An attorney says Johnny Depp hired her as a legal consultant for his defamation trial against Amber Heard after seeing her in the series Making a Murderer.

Kathleen Zellner, an American lawyer who was featured in the Netflix show, spoke to Law & Crime after a verdict was announced in the case on Wednesday (1 June).

Ms Zellner said Mr Depp called her and left a voicemail at her office at the end of December. She said Mr Depp told her he had seen her in Making a Murderer say that she “would be the last person someone would hire if they were guilty, because you would find out about it.”

“I was struck that that’s what motivated him to contact me,” Ms Zellner added.

Clémence Michallon reports:

Megan Sheets10 June 2022 09:00

Johnny Depp’s lawyer reveals why he did fist pump over Kate Moss mention in court

Johnny Depp’s lawyer Ben Chew has revealed why he did a little fist pump when Amber Heard’s attorney mentioned Kate Moss in the court during the defamation trial.

During the trial, Ms Heard’s attorney accused the Pirates of The Caribbean star of pushing his former girlfriend Moss down the stairs.

When Ms Heard’s team requested Moss’s testimony, Mr Depp’s attorneys appeared to celebrate the moment via a fist pump.

In a recent interview with Law & Crime Network, Mr Chew said: “There was an instance in which Ms Heard actually did admit to punching Johnny, and that was what we call the ‘staircase incident.’

Read more:

Johnny Depp’s lawyer reveals why he did fist pump over Kate Moss mention in court

Heard’s attorney accused Depp of pushing his former girlfriend Moss down the stairs

Peony Hirwani10 June 2022 10:00

Billie Eilish references Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial in unreleased song

Billie Eilish made reference to the Depp v Heard in an unreleased song that she performed to fans on her UK tour.

The 20-year-old pop star is currently in the UK on her world tour for her second album Happier Than Ever.

Performing at Manchester’s AO Arena on Tuesday (7 June), Eilish debuted a new song titled “TV”.

The track – which is yet to be released – is a slow, melancholy number with lyrics that reference the highly publicised Depp v Heard trial that came to an end last week

“The internet’s gone wild watching movie stars on trial, while they’re overturning Roe v Wade,” Eilish sang while sat on a stool opposite her brother and collaborator Finneas who played the acoustic guitar.

Billie Eilish references Johnny Depp trial in unreleased song debuted in Manchester

Eilish said that she and her brother only ‘just wrote’ the song

Megan Sheets10 June 2022 11:00

Unlikely cult celebrities of Johnny Depp v Amber Heard

Fans of the estranged couple exhaustively documented the plaintiff and defendant’s every move and mannerism in court, their attorneys’ arguments, the judge’s interventions and a wealth of colourful witness testimony on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, carving up what might have amounted to dry legal proceedings into a spectator sport.

All of which has raised disapproving eyebrows in some quarters, with concerns expressed that the real issue at the heart of the case, domestic violence, was lost in what has become a bad taste viral soap opera.

While those criticisms are more than valid, there is no question that the trial provided an extraordinary spectacle and a cast of unforgettable supporting characters who found themselves unlikely cult celebrities.

Unlikely cult celebrities of Johnny Depp v Amber Heard, from lawyers to alpacas

Explosive court case draws to a close with jury verdict expected soon

Megan Sheets10 June 2022 12:00

‘It’s so hard to talk when no one will hear’: Johnny Depp releases new song about pitfalls of fame

Johnny Depp has released a new song about the pitfalls of fame.

The track, which is called “This is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr”, is performed with Jeff Beck and taken from the duo’s forthcoming joint album, 18, which will be released on 15 July.

Ostensibly singing about Forties film star Lamarr, the lyrics of the first verse go: “Erased by the same world who made her a star… The light of her being, her exotic allure / Was torn at the seams for daring to dream / It’s so hard to speak when you’re frozen in scream… Feels like a dream, but it’s life and it’s death.”

In the chorus, Depp sings: ​“I don’t believe, I can’t believe, I won’t believe humans any more.” At another point, he laments: “It’s so hard to talk when no one will hear, and everyone stares as you quiver in fear.”

Depp and Beck have been playing across the UK in recent weeks, with Depp missing the last day of his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard for a gig.

Ellie Harrison reports:

Johnny Depp releases new song about pitfalls of fame

‘I won’t believe humans any more,’ sings Depp on collaborative track with Jeff Beck

Peony Hirwani10 June 2022 12:45

Voices: Amber Heard didn’t ask for any of this — but the verdict will change her life

Kathleen N Walsh writes:

There’s a fair argument to be made that no matter which way the jury went in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation case, Heard — and domestic abuse survivors at large — had already lost. Certainly, the weeks and weeks of social media abuse, the humiliation, and the relived trauma Heard endured throughout this highly public trial would be enough on its own to have a chilling effect on future domestic abuse survivors. But the verdict still matters. And it especially matters because Heard never asked for any of this: Lest we forget, Depp sued her.

Read more:

Amber Heard didn’t ask for any of this — but the verdict will change her life

This was not a case about whether or not abuse took place. Everyone seems to have forgotten that

Megan Sheets10 June 2022 13:00

What are Amber Heard’s options to appeal Johnny Depp verdict

Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft has said her client will appeal the verdict, which largely favoured Depp.

The Independent’s Clémence Michallon spoke to three attorneys about Heard’s potential avenues.

What attorneys say about Amber Heard’s options to appeal Johnny Depp verdict

Ms Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft has said her client will appeal the verdict, which largely favoured Mr Depp. Clémence Michallon speaks to three attorneys about Ms Heard’s potential avenues

Megan Sheets10 June 2022 14:00

Emma Thompson says Depp v Heard trial will not ‘derail’ MeToo movement

Oscar winner Emma Thompson opened up about her views on the Depp v Heard case during a recent appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, addressing the fear expressed by some that Depp’s victory could lead women to stay silent on allegations of abuse.

Thompson urged listeners to note that the case was not “representative” of MeToo.

Asked whether the trial signalled the end of the MeToo movement, Thompson replied: “One of the things that’s very difficult to do is judge an issue like the MeToo issue brings to the fore when you’re dealing with very, very famous people. It’s a whole other thing.

“So actually one of the great issues to do with that case is fame... and how people who are famous are treated differently and viewed differently.”

The Independent’s Annabel Nugent reports:

Emma Thompson says Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial won’t ‘derail’ the MeToo movement

Actor says the case has been ‘has been blown out of all remote human proportion’

Megan Sheets10 June 2022 15:00

Voices: The Depp and Heard trial has become as divisive as Brexit

Victoria Richards writes:

“Who do you support?” a friend I haven’t seen for a while asked me on the school run. He’s American, and was asking me about the talking point of 2022: no, not the pandemic, not Partygate, but the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial, of course.

“Come on, you can’t possibly believe Amber ‘poopy’ Heard,” he added, a genuine tinge of disbelief to his voice. “She’s mad!”

And so, I found myself repeating what I’ve been saying all along, when I’ve seen the disgusting memes and reactions on social media – those directed at Heard, who by any objective estimation has been through living hell, and the comments hurled at those who have written critically of the differing treatment meted out for Johnny “roses thrown in his path, crowds waving, people taking their babies to wait outside court for him” Depp – that the world has become strangely split and divided.

Read more:

Opinion: The Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial has become as divisive as Brexit

Talking to someone who is proudly and vociferously Team Depp is, to me, as offputting as being trapped in conversation with someone who votes Tory

Oliver O'Connell10 June 2022 15:30

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