Following the dramatic Johnny Depp–Amber Heard trial, in which Depp won the defamation case against Heard, Depp’s lawyers are taking their case on the road.
Depp attorneys Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez appeared on two morning shows on Wednesday to discuss the ruling, which awarded compensatory damages to both parties, though Heard won much less in her countersuit.
Today’s Savannah Guthrie and Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos questioned Chew and Vasquez (who has since been promoted to partner at her Law firm), over whether a social media campaign against Heard influenced the verdict.
Chew replied to these questions on GMA with, “Social media played no role whatsoever.” He further said, “This was a decision made by the jury on the evidence presented by both sides, and as Camille said [earlier in the interview], it was overwhelmingly in Mr. Depp’s favor.”
He said during his interview on Today, “My sense is it had a lot to do with accountability. Johnny owned and was candid about his alcohol and drug issues. He was candid about some unfortunate texts that he wrote, and I think it was a sharp contrast to Ms. Heard, who didn’t seem, or at least the jury may have perceived, that she didn’t take accountability for anything.”
There was a heated exchange between Depp and Heard’s Lawyers over sexually explicit texts.
Take a look at this tweet sharing a part of their interview with GMA:
“He was over the moon … I feel that finally after six years he's gotten his life back.”
Johnny Depp’s lawyers Camille Vasquez and Ben Chew share the actor’s reaction to his legal victory in court against Amber Heard. https://t.co/kWY5S6eOU4 pic.twitter.com/9pe7ax2nSe
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 8, 2022
Vasquez told Today that the trial’s coverage “is everywhere. But at the same time [jury members] were admonished every single night. And they had a tremendous amount of respect for the court and the process, and they were doing the best that they could.”
She said in her interview with GMA, “I think the key to victory was focusing on the facts and the evidence and Johnny’s opportunity to speak the truth for the first time.”
She further said it was “six years in the making. He was able to connect with the jury and the general public and tell what really happened in this relationship”.
Do you think that the verdict was influenced by social media or do you think otherwise? Share your thoughts with us:
Stephanopoulos inquired about the verdict’s potential impact on the #MeToo movement and domestic abuse victims’ capacity to seek justice in the future. “I think our response to that is we encourage any victim to come forward,” Vasquez replied.
“Domestic violence doesn’t have a gender.” She went on to say that she and Chew don’t believe the verdict will harm the #MeToo movement.
“We believe that the verdict speaks for itself, the facts are what they were, the jury made a unanimous decision based on those facts.”
Their comments came after Ms. Heard’s lawyer said that the “lopsided” social media frenzy surrounding the case, which was skewed considerably in Mr. Depp’s favor, affected jurors.
Elaine Bredehoft appeared on The Today Show on Thursday morning, just hours after a jury found Ms. Heard guilty of defaming her ex-husband in a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post.
Bredehoft asked, “How can you not[be influenced]?”
“They went home every night. They have families. The families are on social media.”
“We had a 10-day break in the middle because of the judicial conference. There’s no way they couldn’t have been influenced by it.”
Elaine Bredehoft, Heard’s attorney, indicated in her interview with Today that her client intends to appeal the verdict. On the same show, Depp’s crew stated that they are ready for another round. Chew said, “We feel very confident that there are no errors that would justify any kind of successful appeal.”
There is no doubt about the magnanimous support of fans for Johnny Depp, who celebrated his victory and thanked fans on Social Media to acknowledge their support. The question in the spotlight, however, is if these fans played a part in influencing the jury’s verdict.
