The trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard began on April 11, with opening statements from lawyers for both sides painting very different pictures.
Heard’s lawyer, J. Benjamin Rottenborn, told the jury in his opening statement that Depp is “going to try to turn this case into a soap opera” and trying to “ruin [Heard’s] life.” Meanwhile, Depp’s lawyers, attorney Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, claimed that while Depp had his demons and has a history of drinking and drug use, those facts don’t automatically make him an abuser.
The foundation for the lawsuit and Heard’s countersuit is whether or not Heard was exercising her First Amendment rights when she wrote her 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post about her experiences with domestic violence, in which she never mentioned Depp’s name directly.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million, claiming that the op-ed implied that he was a domestic abuser, causing damage to his career and making him lose out on roles in films. Heard has countersued him, saying that he allegedly physically assaulted her on 10 separate occasions prior to and during their short marriage.
Heard’s lawyer read the op-ed in court in full and argued that it was written in response to pending legislation at the time.
Rottenborn told the court that had it been written to accuse Depp of domestic abuse directly, it “would have looked very, very different.”
"She could fill a book with those details [...] She would have told you about the monster, but she didn't. That wasn't the point of this article," Rottenborn said. He went on to say that the evidence that will be shown at the trial “isn’t very pretty” for Depp, and that the public will see the “real” Johnny Depp. “You'll see the real Johnny Depp, behind the pirate costume.”
Rottenborn added that Depp is trying to make life difficult for Heard, and that “the evidence will show that for years, all Mr. Depp has wanted to do is humiliate Amber, to harm her, to wreck her career."
Both sides claim that the other wished to harm their acting career.
Depp’s lawyers say that Heard’s op-ed ruined his chances to star in the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, while Rottenborn says that Depp had already been dropped from Disney’s franchise before the op-ed had been written.
Rather, he says, Heard’s career was taking off after the success of Aquaman, and Depp allegedly wanted to see her fail, which is when he filed the lawsuit.
Depp’s attorney, Chew, said that Heard has permanently damaged Depp’s career.
“When, like Mr. Depp, your career depends on your image and your reputation, or whether movie producers want their movie associated with you, that can be particularly harmful.”
Camille Vasquez, also representing Depp, said that while the actor grew up in an abusive household, he did not internalize that abuse to attack others. Heard alleged that Depp’s drug and alcohol use led to many violent incidents against her.
Vasquez disagreed and said, “Struggling with drugs and alcohol doesn't make you an abuser.”
Witnesses in the trial will be testifying remotely via video, including potential witnesses such as Elon Musk and James Franco, whom Depp claims Heard had affairs with while they were still married. Paul Bettany will be testifying for Depp.
The post Amber Heard’s Attorney Says Johnny Depp Punched, Kicked, And Pulled Her By Her Hair appeared first on The Mother of All Nerds.
Amber Heard’s Attorney Says Johnny Depp Punched, Kicked, And Pulled Her By Her Hair
Source: Pinoy Inquirer News
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