Topline
An unnamed juror from Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial gave insight on the deliberations Thursday to Good Morning America, saying the actress “didn’t come across as believable” and that “there wasn’t enough or any evidence that really supported what she was saying.”
Amber Heard (L) and Johnny Depp watch as the jury leaves the courtroom at the end of the day at the … [+] Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, May 16, 2022.
Key Facts
The juror, whose jury number was not disclosed, said the jury found Heard’s emotional outbursts during testimony to be suspicious, wondering how she could go from crying and “two seconds later she would turn ice cold,” going so far as to describe her expression as “crocodile tears.”
Depp, on the other hand, “just seemed a little more real in terms of how he responded to questions,” the juror said.
The juror said it was clear the couple was “abusive to each other” and had “husband-wife arguments,” but it didn’t “rise to the level of what she was claiming,” and that the jury found Heard to be the aggressor in the relationship, as Depp claimed in his testimony.
The juror said it was questionable that Heard said she gifted Depp a knife, despite the physical abuse she said she experienced from him.
The jury discussed the type of drugs Depp allegedly used, and was said to frequently become abusive while on, “at length,” because “most of them were downers, and you usually don’t get violent on downers,” the juror said.
The juror denied claims made by Heard that the group’s decision was influenced by social media, which seemed to heavily support Depp over her, saying they “only looked at the evidence.”
Key Background
Depp sued Heard, his ex-wife, for $50 million over claims she made in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she did not name him, but described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard countersued Depp for $100 million over claims made by his lawyer that her accusations of abuse against Depp were a hoax. The trial lasted over six weeks and captured the attention of millions. The jury ruled in favor of Depp, agreeing that Heard defamed him on all counts, and awarded him $10.3 million. Heard won part of her case against him and was awarded $2 million. Heard has said she intends to appeal the decision. In an interview this week, Heard said she believes the jury was influenced by social media and that she understands why the jury ruled for him, after being told for weeks “not to believe a word that came out of my mouth.”
Further Reading
Amber Heard Says She Doesn’t ‘Blame’ Jurors For Siding With Johnny Depp—But Says Trial Wasn’t ‘Fair’ (Forbes)
Jury Rules Amber Heard Defamed Johnny Depp In Domestic Abuse Op-Ed (Forbes)
Amber Heard Says She’ll Stand By ‘Every Word’ Of Her Testimony Until Her ‘Dying Day’ (Forbes)