It wasn’t a good week for Amber Heard as the jury in her defamation case awarded her to pay ex-husband Johnny Depp $15 million in damages. The jury had determined that Heard had defamed Depp with false allegations of domestic violence, finding her guilty on all three counts of defamation. It was not a total loss for Heard as Depp was found liable for one of three defamation counts in Heard’s counterclaim. Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2 million based on that finding.
Heard released a statement after the verdict was read, noting that she had a “mountain of evidence” that proved her case. Elaine Bredehoft, one of Heard’s attorneys, appeared on Today the next morning (via THR) to speak about the verdict. According to Bredehoft, there’s “no way” that the negative attention surrounding Heard on social media didn’t influence the members of the jury. As Bredehoft said:
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Bredehoft also criticized the decision to allow the trial to be televised and wanted to make it clear that Heard and her attorneys had attempted to block this from happening.
Amber Heard’s Lawyers Will Appeal
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Bredehoft also points to the previous trial held in the U.K., which involved Depp suing The Sun’s publisher over an article referring to him as a “wife beater.” The attorney explains how Depp losing in that particular case should help convince doubters that Heard is telling the truth about the domestic violence allegations. Bredehoft also alleges that Depp and his lawyers suppressed evidence that had been used in the U.K. case, suggesting that this also played a big role in the U.S. trial verdict.
One of the biggest differences in the trials is that the U.K. trial was left to a single judge to determine whether Heard’s allegations were true, while in the U.S., it was a seven-member jury. It can be debated as to what really led to the verdict, but, in any case, Heard’s lawyers have already announced their intentions to appeal.
