Who Will Win The Depp-Heard Case?
It’s the court case of the decade. A former couple accuses each other of domestic violence. Johnny Depp, best known for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, is suing his ex-wife, Aquaman actress Amber Heard, for defamation after she wrote an op-ed about him. While he was unnamed in the piece, it was clear he was the subject. The case jumps off the back of Johnny suing a UK newspaper after they printed a story about him being ‘a wife-beater.’ Unfortunately, he did not come out victorious in this situation.
The Depp-Heard court case has now wrapped up and is now in the hands of the jury. It won’t be until the beginning of next week that we get a verdict on which actor comes out on top. The court of public opinion is prominent. Johnny has won in the eyes of the world. Now, that brings us to why. Why has the public chosen to believe an alleged ‘wife-beater’ over his alleged female victim? This would serve as a parallel to the Ricky Martin case.
When you look at the evidence from both sides, it is easy to see who comes out on top. Much of Amber’s evidence incriminates her as the perpetrator. She openly admits in audio recordings that she hit her then-husband. However, she further claimed on the stand that she was defending herself from him. Johnny’s victory isn’t just one for him, but for everyone who isn’t being believed.
Then, we come to the photos taken by Amber’s now-former best friend of what were supposed to be black eyes. However, the images show she only has puffy eyes, and there is no bruising. When the wife-beater story was published, the photos were edited to make her appear more injured.
Johnny Was A Gentleman To 95% Of His Former Partners, And The Actor’s Substance Issues
Outside of Ellen Barkin, whom Johnny dated in the 90s, most of his exes, including Kate Moss, Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder, have all come out to support him. However, it should be noted if he were violent towards Paradis, the mother of his two children, his kids, Lily-Rose and Jack, would’ve said something.
Ellen Barkin accused Depp of being constantly drunk and jealous during their time together. However, another of his exes, Jennifer Grey, didn’t pick a side and said she hoped that the situation could be resolved.
It has never been a secret that Johnny has his issues. He has always been transparent about this. He was an absolute gentleman from people’s accounts of meeting him or working with him. However, there is a suggestion that the actor’s career took a nosedive around the 2010s. It is alleged this was due to bad behaviour, according to Jenyne Donaldson of The Wrap. This comment came from Depp’s former agent, Tracy Jacobs.
Do we believe that Johnny still drinks and takes drugs? Likely. It is not our right to criticise this. Every human struggles with something. Do we think he is a violent person towards women? No, we don’t. His former partners [sans Barkin] have said he was sweet and caring towards them.
Amber, however, was arrested in 2009 for assaulting her then-girlfriend, Tasya Van Ree. We mention this briefly in the post linked in the section below. The situation was bought up by Ryan Smith of Newsweek when a witness testified during the defamation trial about the drama at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Consistent v. Inconsistent Plus Good Lawyers
In our Babes Against Bullshit post, “Why Amber Heard is NOT a Victim,” we discuss why the Aquaman star wasn’t a DV survivor but the perpetrator. In interviews, the actress constantly stalled when asked questions about her then-husband’s alleged assaults upon her. Johnny, however, was clear and consistent when he was interviewed.
Depp’s lawyers have become internet sensations during the defamation trial, especially Camille Vasquez. Ms Vasquez has shredded Amber during her cross-examination. Ben Chew has also become headline news due to his reaction when Heard bought up the longtime rumour of Johnny pushing Kate Moss down the stairs in the 90s.
Due to this, Kate Moss was called to testify, blowing Amber’s story out of the water. According to her testimony, Ms Moss said that she slipped down the stairs while she and her then-boyfriend were on holiday and that the rumour was simply that; a rumour.
Also, we should point out that Amber has allegedly also taken drugs.
Defence Has Proof
Many times, Amber has said things that have turned out to be lies. One such lie came when heard claimed that Johnny had trashed their LA Penthouse. Police bodycam footage disproves this. She has also perjured herself multiple times. As a result, there have been calls for her to be charged with perjury. The New York Post reports that Amber could be investigated in Australia for such a crime due to what happened after her and Johnny’s dogs were smuggled into the country.
Almost everything Johnny’s defence team has put out in the open has had evidence to back it up. Also, Amber is a narcissist and exists in the bubble as Meghan Markle. Not to mention, why SHOULD we believe her? Just because a person says they’re being abused, doesn’t mean they are.
People are willing to believe others when they have evidence to back it up rather than hearsay.
Breaking The Stereotype
Most people are not stupid. They know that even men can be victims of domestic violence. One example is comedian and actor Phil Hartman. He was killed by his wife, Brynn, in a murder-suicide in 1998. At the time of his death, Hartman was prepping to take the voice role of Zapp Brannigan for Matt Groening’s then-upcoming animated series, Futurama. After Phil’s murder, the part was then passed to Billy West.
Amber’s narrative seems to portray women as the only victims of domestic abuse. Also, she openly admitted in audio recordings that Johnny was a victim of domestic violence while claiming that “no one would believe him” if he spoke up. In the beginning, when the stories came out, a large majority of people did believe Amber. However, some always believed Depp due to earlier evidence.
We were among those people who ALWAYS believed Depp. However, if there is one thing we have learned, it is never to trust those who believe in a stereotype so much that they degrade themselves while blaming others.
