JOHNNY DEEP WINS THE CASE AGAINST HIS EX-WIFE
After a lengthy legal battle, Amber Heard was sentenced to pay Johnny Depp $10.35 million in libel damages. However, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star would be required to pay compensatory damages as well. Amber Heard was held responsible for defaming her ex-husband Johnny Depp by a jury in the United States on Wednesday, and the court ordered her to pay him $10.35 million (approximately €10 million) in damages. The jury had suggested a settlement of $15 million. The jury also ruled in Heard's favor on several points of her counter-suit against Depp, especially that he defamed her through his attorney, and gave her $2 million. "The jury gave me my life. I am truly humbled, "Depp, who was not present in court for the decision, issued a statement.
Heard expressed her heartbreak after the decision. "I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women." It is a setback. It reverts to a time when a woman who spoke up and out could be publicly humiliated. It undermines the notion that violence against women should be taken seriously," she said in a statement posted on her Twitter account.
Millions of people watched the trial on social media, and it was carried live on television. Everything from court evidence to both performers' body language was scrutinized and debated in increasingly divided social media forums. In the United States, legislators weighed in on the trial, including the official account for Republican House Judiciary Committee members. The tweet looked to be a celebration of the judgment, with a picture of Depp from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film franchise. The way the #MeToo movement was exploited during the trial, according to Tarana Burke, a US activist who began the movement, was a "toxic catastrophe and one of the worst defamations of the cause." "We have been confronted with the mockery of assault, shame, and blame over the last six weeks," she said in a statement Sunday, ahead of the verdict. "There have been numerous headlines proclaiming the death of #MeToo. News stories full of clickbait that have nothing to do with the actual work being done to stop sexual violence have rushed across our screens. According to Eric Rose, a crisis management and communications consultant in Los Angeles, both performers stand to suffer from the weeks of acrimonious court scenes. "There can be no winners in terms of reputation management," he says. Rose noted that studios will be hesitant to hire Depp or Heard "because you risk alienating a significant portion of your audience who may not appreciate the idea that you have kept either Johnny or Amber for a certain project since sentiments are so high presently."
