Amber Heard Speaks Out About Johnny Depp Trial Verdict For First Time
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Amber Heard has spoken about the Johnny Depp trial verdict for the first time, saying she 'doesn't blame' the jury but that the negative social media attention she received is 'unfair'.
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Following the highly-publicised defamation trial, the Aquaman star was ordered by the US court to award Depp $15 million in damages over domestic abuse claims she made in a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post.
These charges were later capped at $10.35 million by Judge Penny Azcarate, and in a separate verdict Heard was awarded $2 million in damages via a counterclaim.
Although the 36-year-old star has shared statements about the trial online, she is set to speak in depth about the verdict for the first time in a sit-down interview with NBC News' Savannah Guthrie, which will air on Tuesday (14 June) and Wednesday (15 June) on the network's Today show and Friday (17 June) on Dateline NBC.
In the interview, she says of the jury: "I don’t blame them. I actually understand. He’s a beloved character and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor."
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When discussing the negative social media attention she received as the court case unfolded, Heard said: "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."
Last month when the trial was still active, Ron Schnell - a social media expert and a witness for Heard - said he saw more than a million negative tweets about the Aquaman star.
He also testified that the #JusticeForJohnnyDepp hashtag had been the biggest trending topic of the duo’s legal case.
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This was commented on by Heard's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, following the verdict, saying she believed members of the jury were influenced by the social media activity.
Speaking on Today, she said: "How can you not? They went home every night. They have families. The families are on social media.
"We had a 10-day break in the middle because of the judicial conference. There's no way they couldn't have been influenced by it.”
Heard previously released a statement only hours after Depp dropped his first-ever TikTok post.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star thanked his fans for their support alongside a montage of clips of himself, with a segment of the caption reading: "We did the right thing together, all because you cared. And now, we will all move forward together."
Statement in response to Depp's recent TikTok message to his fans.
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) June 7, 2022
"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.”
Spokesperson for #AmberHeard
Hours after the post, a spokesperson for Heard said: "As Johnny Depp says he's 'moving forward,' women's rights are moving backward.
"The verdict's message to victims of domestic violence is [to] be afraid to stand up and speak out.”
Featured Image Credit: Law and Crime Network/Alamy
Topics: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard
