The Dep(p)th of the Trials

Hollywood and social media continue to explode with daily updates and revelations in the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard.  Johnny Depp, an American actor best known for playing Captain Jack Sparrow on Disney’s films Pirates of the Caribbean, filed a $50 million lawsuit (of alleged defamation) against Amber Heard. In a counterclaim, Heard filed suit against Depp for $100 million due to nuisance. The trials began on April 12 in Fairfax County, VA, and the proceedings are expected to carry on for six weeks.

The two celebrities met back in 2009 on the set of The Rum Diary. They married in 2015 until officially ending their relationship with finalized divorce papers in 2017. Heard publicly spoke about being a victim of domestic violence right after filing for divorce in May 2016. A British tabloid, The Sun, released rumors which labeled Depp as a “wife beater.” After receiving backlash from the public, Depp reacted by suing the company for libel. Unfortunately Depp lost the case as the judge ruled in the publisher’s favor for collecting “substantially true” evidence.

Depp later revealed that he sustained a severed finger from an altercation with Heard during their trip in Australia. Depp shared his experiences of violence from Heard.

Released by The New York Times, Heard asserts that she dealt with “patterns” of physical abuse, stating that Depp slapped and kicked her on several accounts. Heard’s attorney confirms that she used Milani Cosmetics Conceal+Perfect All-in-One Correcting Kit throughout the entire relationship to cover bruises caused by domestic violence. After the trial, Milani Cosmetics uploaded a TikTok revealing that the product did not release until December 2017.

From CBS News: Depp and Heard’s former security guard, Travis Mcgivern, bears witness on stand, describing the former couple’s arguments after returning from Australia. Mcgivern describes witnessing numbers of “name calling” which typically came from the mouth of Heard “directing her feelings towards Mr. Depp.”

On April 26, Depp’s legal team brought in forensic psychologist, Shannon Curry, who testified that Heard is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder. As refutation, forensic psychologist, Dawn Hughes, testified on behalf of Heard stating that she conducted tests on her and found no evidence of personality disorder or any other mental health issues.

As gossip floods all media platforms, people argue over who to believe. Specifically through Twitter and Tiktok, a mass of fans send their full support to Depp, bashing Heard for an old audio recording that played during trial. The audio reveals Heard yelling to Depp, “see how many people believe or side with you,” as she mocks Depp for being a victim of violence.

No matter where the truth resides, domestic violence is a serious issue that must be handled properly.

If someone is currently in a situation of domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline to seek help.