Depp v. Heard
Alyssa McGuigan '22 Features Editor
The court case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is taking place right now in Fairfax Country, Virginia. Hollywood’s Johnny Depp, best known for his roles as Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean), Willy Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Edward Scissorhands (Edward Scissorhands) and The Mad Hatter (Alice Through The Looking Glass), married Amber Heard, best known for her role as DC’s Mera (Aquaman) and the following franchise, in February 2015. Hardly a year later, in May 2016, Amber Heard filed for divorce and a restraining order from Depp. She claimed that Depp has physically abused her while under the influence of heavy drugs and alcohol. After a police investigation, no evidence implicated Depp and the situation was seen as a chance for Heard to stir up some publication. The couple was legally divorced in January 2017. After dropping the restraining order, Heard was awarded $7 million from Depp as spousal support, which she claimed was going toward charity. Just as the dust was settling in December 2018, Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post titled, “I spoke up against sexual violence - and faced our culture’s wrath. This has to change.” While she never actually mentioned her marriage to Depp, she alluded to it, saying, “I write this as a woman who had to change my phone number weekly because I was getting death threats. [...] Tabloid outlets that posted pictures of me spun them in a negative light. I felt as though I was on trial in the court of public opinion — and my life and livelihood depended on myriad judgments far beyond my control.” Because of this accusation, Johnny Depp was dropped from several contracts, including the highly popular Pirates of the Caribbean. In 2019, Depp sued Heard for $50 million for defamation, saying that he, Johnny Depp, was the victim of abuse at Amber Heard’s hand.
January 2020 came around and the Daily Mail released audio recordings of Heard “hitting” Depp. Depp claims it was a “punch,” Heard claims it was a “hit.” The audio reveals the celebrities discussing their tendencies to hurt each other in ways they wish they didn't have to. In July 2020, Johnny went back to court after suing News Group Newspapers Limited (based in the UK) and the editor of The Sun for referring to him as a “wife-beater.” This trial took place at the High Court in London. He continued to deny all allegations against him. Depp ended up paying both the News Group Newspaper and The Sun £630,000 for legal fees.
In April 2022, Depp and Heard are now involved in a defamation trial. Johnny Depp is determined to prove that the abuse statements against him are false. At the current hearing, many past instances have been brought to the surface and the public grows more and more opinionated as Depp and Heard recall their experiences together. Allegedly, Heard threw a glass bottle at Depp; the glass shattered and cut Depp’s finger to the bone. At the time Depp told the doctors it was an accident, but, last time he took the stand, he revealed the truth. He said, “I didn't want to get her in trouble. I tried to just keep things as copacetic and easy as possible for everyone. I didn't want to put her into that mix.” Depp follows up claiming that there was fecal matter in their bed while he was away, allegedly from Heard or her friends. Heard blamed it on the dogs but Depp explains that the dogs, Boo and Pistol, are small dogs. On May 4th and 5th, Amber Heard took the stand, and recalled many instances of Depp grabbing, kicking, and yelling at her while intoxicated.
Depp’s previous girlfriend Winona Ryder says, “He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me. He has never been violent or abusive towards anybody I have seen.” If you've been keeping up through social media, the hashtags #justiceforjohnny, #johnnydeppisinnocent and or #amberheardisaliar have been frequently circulating.
The case is continuing to May 27th so that the jury has extra time to fully understand the information and evidence. As the trial continues, tensions continue to grow.
January 2020 came around and the Daily Mail released audio recordings of Heard “hitting” Depp. Depp claims it was a “punch,” Heard claims it was a “hit.” The audio reveals the celebrities discussing their tendencies to hurt each other in ways they wish they didn't have to. In July 2020, Johnny went back to court after suing News Group Newspapers Limited (based in the UK) and the editor of The Sun for referring to him as a “wife-beater.” This trial took place at the High Court in London. He continued to deny all allegations against him. Depp ended up paying both the News Group Newspaper and The Sun £630,000 for legal fees.
In April 2022, Depp and Heard are now involved in a defamation trial. Johnny Depp is determined to prove that the abuse statements against him are false. At the current hearing, many past instances have been brought to the surface and the public grows more and more opinionated as Depp and Heard recall their experiences together. Allegedly, Heard threw a glass bottle at Depp; the glass shattered and cut Depp’s finger to the bone. At the time Depp told the doctors it was an accident, but, last time he took the stand, he revealed the truth. He said, “I didn't want to get her in trouble. I tried to just keep things as copacetic and easy as possible for everyone. I didn't want to put her into that mix.” Depp follows up claiming that there was fecal matter in their bed while he was away, allegedly from Heard or her friends. Heard blamed it on the dogs but Depp explains that the dogs, Boo and Pistol, are small dogs. On May 4th and 5th, Amber Heard took the stand, and recalled many instances of Depp grabbing, kicking, and yelling at her while intoxicated.
Depp’s previous girlfriend Winona Ryder says, “He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me. He has never been violent or abusive towards anybody I have seen.” If you've been keeping up through social media, the hashtags #justiceforjohnny, #johnnydeppisinnocent and or #amberheardisaliar have been frequently circulating.
The case is continuing to May 27th so that the jury has extra time to fully understand the information and evidence. As the trial continues, tensions continue to grow.