A psychologist has declared Johnny Depp’s defamation win against ex-wife Amber Heard as the ‘end of the MeToo’ era.
After the highly-publicised trial a jury found in favour of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, awarding him $15 million ($AUD 20.8 million, £12 million) worth in damages over the op-ed penned by Heard in 2018.
Heard was also awarded $2 million ($AUD 2.7 million, £1.6 million) worth in damages after the jury agreed one of Depp's lawyers defamed her.
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But, according to psychologist Jessica Taylor, the verdict has larger consequences.
“This is basically the end of MeToo,” she told Rolling Stone.
“It’s the death of the whole movement.”
She also said that the trial's outcome would prevent sexual assault and domestic violence victims from speaking out, as the verdict would open the ‘floodgates’ for defamation lawsuits.
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“Survivors watching this will rethink everything they say out loud about what happened to them, and the potential of being sued and dragged through a court process for saying something they know is true, but they could be found guilty of defamation,” she said.
“It’s a scary place to be.”
A survivor of sexual assault also revealed she faced a potential defamation trial after coming forward with her own abuser. Although the lawsuit was later dropped, she claims that rewatching the high profile celebrity trial has brought back many triggering memories.
“I feel really glad to think my case didn’t go ahead. And stupid to think I could have won it,” she said. “Men always win.”
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Guardian reporter Moira Donegan slammed reactions to the lawsuit as an ‘orgy of misogyny’.
Donegan spoke of how the lawsuit had been ripped apart on social media, with many memes, gifs and videos created to mock Heard's testimony.
She wrote: “This cruelty has now been joined in and compounded by the jury, who have gone beyond mocking her for telling her story, and now declared that she actually broke the law by doing so.”
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Donegan said that despite criticism solely directed towards Heard, victims of domestic and sexual violence would also feel the weight of the public backlash. It will also have lasting effects on cases of this nature moving forward, she said.
“One woman has been made into a symbol of a movement that many view with fear and hatred, and she’s being punished for that movement," Donegan said.
"In this way, Heard is still in an abusive relationship. But now, it’s not just with Depp, but with the whole country."
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Dr. Jessica Taylor. Brett Cove / SOPA Images/Sipa USA/AlamyTopics: News, US News, Crime, Johnny Depp, Celebrity
