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{{pp|small=yes}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE: ''Depp v Heard''}}
{{Short description|2022 defamation trial of American actors}}
{{Infobox court case
{{Use American English|date=April 2022}}
|name = Depp v Heard
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
|full name = John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard

|court = Circuit Court of Fairfax County
{{About|the defamation trial|the documentary based on it|Depp v. Heard (TV series)}}{{Infobox court case
| name = Depp v. Heard
| image = Seal of Virginia.svg
| imagesize = 100px
| full name = John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard
| court = Fairfax County Circuit Court
| judges = ]<br>(Bruce D. White ruled on pre-trial motions).<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Maddaus|first=Gene|date=May 3, 2022|title=Amber Heard Loses Bid to Dismiss Johnny Depp's Defamation Suit|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/amber-heard-johnny-depp-dismiss-trial-1235257109/|magazine=]|access-date=September 5, 2022|archive-date=June 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606031639/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/amber-heard-johnny-depp-dismiss-trial-1235257109/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| start date = {{Start date|2022|4|11}}
| date decided = {{Start date and age|2022|06|01}}
| opinions =
| verdict = '''Depp's complaint:'''

Heard was found liable in all three matters of defamation raised. Depp was awarded $10&nbsp;million (of the $50&nbsp;million claim) in compensatory damages and $5&nbsp;million in punitive damages (reduced to $350,000 per state limit).

'''Heard's counterclaims:'''

Depp was found liable in one of three matters of defamation raised and Heard was awarded $2&nbsp;million (of the $100&nbsp;million claim) in compensatory damages and $0 in punitive damages.
}} }}


'''''John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard''''' was a trial held in ], from April 11 to June 1, 2022, that ruled on allegations of ] between formerly married American actors ] and ]. Depp, as ], filed a complaint of defamation against ] Heard claiming $50&nbsp;million in ]; Heard filed ]s against Depp claiming $100&nbsp;million in damages.
'''''John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard''''' (CL-2019-2911)<ref>{{cite web |title=Depp v. Heard trial information - Order Re: Courtroom & Media |url=https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/circuit/sites/circuit/files/assets/documents/pdf/high-profile/depp%20v%20heard/cl-2019-2911-order-3-29-2022.pdf |publisher=Circuit Court of Fairfax County |access-date=April 15, 2022}}</ref> is a defamation trial in ], ] that began in April 2022.<ref name=Wolfe/>

Depp and Heard first met in 2009 and got married in February 2015.<ref name=":10">{{cite news |last1=Gbogbo |first1=Mawunyo |title=A timeline of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's relationship and key moments from court case |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-26/johnny-depp-v-amber-heard-timeline-defamation-domestic-violence/101098658 |access-date=June 8, 2022 |work=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=May 26, 2022 |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608004809/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-26/johnny-depp-v-amber-heard-timeline-defamation-domestic-violence/101098658 |url-status=live }}</ref> Heard filed for ] in May 2016, claiming that Depp had ] her physically, which he denied.<ref name="Shah 5.25.2022">{{Cite magazine|last=Shah|first=Simmone|title=What to Know About Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's Defamation Trial |url=https://time.com/6171006/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial/ |access-date=June 22, 2022 |magazine=Time |language=en |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525215126/https://time.com/6171006/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The couple's divorce was finalized in January 2017. In the ] in London, ] for libel over an article published in '']'' that claimed he had assaulted Heard. In November 2020, the presiding ] ruled against Depp, stating, "he great majority of alleged assaults of Ms. Heard by Mr. Depp have been proved to the ]."<ref name="Reuters civil standard">{{cite news|title=Factbox: Johnny Depp loses 'wife-beater' libel case: key parts of the judgment|date=November 2, 2020|access-date=September 5, 2022|work=]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain-verdict-judgm-idUSKBN27I143|archive-date=September 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906082319/https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain-verdict-judgm-idUSKBN27I143|url-status=live}}</ref> Several legal experts suggested that Depp had a smaller chance of winning in the US trial compared to the UK trial.<ref name=":822">{{Cite web |date=June 2, 2022 |title=Why did the Depp-Heard libel outcomes differ in the US and UK? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/jun/02/johnny-depp-amber-heard-libel-outcomes-differ-us-uk |access-date=June 6, 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603005729/https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/jun/02/johnny-depp-amber-heard-libel-outcomes-differ-us-uk |url-status=live|first=Rajeev|last=Syal}}</ref><ref name=":72" /> His victory in Virginia was attributed by some to the fact that he got a jury trial,<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2 June 2022|title=Depp-Heard trial: Why Johnny Depp lost in the UK but won in the US|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61673676|work=]|location= |access-date=23 Dec 2024}}</ref> which may be why he and his legal team sought to have the trial in Virginia to begin with.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=16 May 2022|title=Depp's Choice of Virginia Trial in Heard Lawsuit Shows Strategy|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/depps-choice-of-virginia-trial-in-heard-lawsuit-shows-strategy|work=]|location= |access-date=23 Dec 2024}}</ref>

In the Virginia trial, Depp's claims related to a December 2018 ] by Heard,<ref name=heard_wapo_oped /> published in '']''. Depp claimed Heard caused new damage to his reputation and career by stating that she had spoken up against "]" and "faced our culture's wrath"; that "two years ago, became a public figure representing domestic abuse" and "felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out"; and that she "had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse". Heard's counterclaims included allegations that Adam Waldman, Depp's former lawyer, had defamed her in statements published in the '']'' in 2020. Throughout the trial, Depp's legal team sought to disprove Heard's domestic abuse allegations and to demonstrate that she had been the instigator, rather than the victim, of ]. Heard's lawyers defended the op-ed, claiming it to be factual and protected by the ].

The jury ruled that Heard's ] to "sexual violence" and "domestic abuse" were false and defamed Depp with ]. It awarded Depp $10&nbsp;million in compensatory damages and $5&nbsp;million in punitive damages from Heard,<ref name="CNverdict" /><ref name="APverdict" /> although the court reduced the punitive damages to $350,000 due to a limit imposed by Virginia state law.<ref name="NPRreduced" /> It also ruled that Depp had defamed Heard through Waldman, who had falsely alleged that Heard and her friends "roughed up" Depp's penthouse as part of an "ambush, a hoax".<ref name="CNverdict" /><ref name="BBCVerdict">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61668780|title=Depp-Heard trial: Jury sides mostly with Depp in defamation case|date=June 2, 2022|work=]|access-date=September 18, 2023|archive-date=June 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622115502/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61668780|url-status=live}}</ref> It awarded Heard $2&nbsp;million in compensatory damages and $0 in punitive damages from Depp.<ref name="CNverdict" /><ref name="APverdict" /> Separately, the jury ruled that Waldman's other allegations of Heard's "sexual violence hoax" and "abuse hoax" against Depp had not been proven defamatory.<ref name="APverdict" />

After the trial ended, Heard put forth motions to set aside the verdict, but was unsuccessful. Then, both Depp and Heard appealed against the respective verdicts. In December 2022, both parties reached a settlement and dropped their appeals, with Depp's lawyers Benjamin Chew and ] stating that Depp would receive $1 million from Heard.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brown Rudnick Helps Johnny Depp Resolve Defamation Case |url=https://brownrudnick.com/press_release/brown-rudnick-helps-johnny-depp-resolve-defamation-case/ |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=Brown Rudnick |language=en-US}}</ref>

The ] trial attracted large numbers of viewers and ], most of which was sympathetic to Depp and critical of Heard.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Degrading memes" /><ref name="variety_tiktok" /> The trial renewed debates around topics relating to ], the ], and ],<ref name=":142222">{{Cite web |date=2022-06-03 |title=Advocates fear Depp-Heard trial will have a chilling effect on women coming forward with abuse claims |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/advocates-fear-depp-heard-trial-will-have-a-chilling-effect-on-women-coming-forward-with-abuse-claims |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":122222">{{Cite web |title=Why the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard verdict was a setback for women |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amber-heard-verdict-blasted-setback-women-domestic-violence-survivors-rcna31752 |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=NBC News |date=June 2, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> although some commentators were skeptical of the trial's long-term implications.<ref name="abc-verdict-122" /><ref name="the-guardian-verdict-1" />
{{TOClimit|4}}


==Background== ==Background==
===Depp and Heard’s relationship=== ===Depp and Heard's relationship===
{{multiple image| {{multiple image|
| footer = ] (left) sued his ex-wife ](right) for defamation over an op-ed for ’’The Washington Post’’ that she wrote in 2018. | footer = ] (left) and ] (right)
| image1 = Johnny Depp Alice Through the Looking Glass premiere.jpg | image1 = Johnny Depp 2020.jpg
| width1 = 160 | width1 = 148
| image2 = Amber Heard by Gage Skidmore (cropped).jpg | image2 = Amber Heard by Gage Skidmore (cropped).jpg
| width2 = 162 | width2 = 160
}} }}

Actors ] and ] began a relationship in around 2012 and married in Los Angeles in February 2015.<ref name=courtdocument>{{cite web|url=http://documents.latimes.com/amber-heard-and-johnny-depps-court-declarations-regarding-allegations-domestic-violence/|title=Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's court declarations regarding allegations of domestic violence|work=Los Angeles Times|date=27 May 2016|access-date=20 August 2016|archive-date=4 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304030720/http://documents.latimes.com/amber-heard-and-johnny-depps-court-declarations-regarding-allegations-domestic-violence/|url-status=live}}</ref> Heard filed for divorce from Depp on 23 May 2016, and obtained a temporary ] (TRO) against him, stating in her court declaration that he had been "verbally and physically abusive" throughout their relationship, usually while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.<ref name=wright>{{cite web|url=http://www.refinery29.com/2016/06/113149/domestic-violence-911-call-famous-friend|title=Why I Called 911|last=Wright|first=iO Tillett|publisher=]|date=8 June 2016|access-date=20 August 2016|archive-date=4 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004154126/https://www.refinery29.com/2016/06/113149/domestic-violence-911-call-famous-friend|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-amber-heard-bruise-photos-20160601-snap-story.html|title=New photos of Amber Heard show bruised eye and bloody lip|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1 June 2016|access-date=20 August 2016|first=Libby|last=Hill|archive-date=15 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190315024551/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-amber-heard-bruise-photos-20160601-snap-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Variety2019">{{cite web|title=Amber Heard Claims Johnny Depp Threatened to Kill Her During Years of Abuse|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/amber-heard-johnny-depp-abuse-threatened-kill-1203187472/|website=]|access-date=19 April 2019|date=11 April 2019|archive-date=21 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205513/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/amber-heard-johnny-depp-abuse-threatened-kill-1203187472/|url-status=live}}</ref> In response, Depp alleged that she was "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse."<ref name=cnn>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/16/entertainment/amber-heard-johnny-depp-timeline/|title=Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Settle Divorce|publisher=]|first=Lisa Respers|last=France|date=16 August 2016|access-date=20 August 2016|archive-date=11 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411215238/https://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/16/entertainment/amber-heard-johnny-depp-timeline/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=guardiancarroll>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/16/amber-heard-assault-allegations-johnny-depp-divorce|title=Amber Heard settles domestic abuse case against Johnny Depp|work=The Guardian|first=Rory|last=Carroll|date=16 August 2016|access-date=20 August 2016|archive-date=22 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222165524/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/16/amber-heard-assault-allegations-johnny-depp-divorce|url-status=live}}</ref> Heard testified about the abuse under oath at a divorce court deposition.<ref name="Variety2019"/> The divorce received a large amount of publicity, with alleged evidence, such as images of Heard's injuries, published by the media.<ref name=guardiancarroll/><ref name=cnn/> A settlement was reached in August 2016,<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|url=http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/08/19/amber-heard-to-give-7m-johnny-depp-divorce-settlement-to-charity/|title=Amber Heard To Give $7M Johnny Depp Divorce Settlement To Charity|work=]|date=19 August 2016|access-date=20 August 2016|archive-date=12 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212121140/http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/08/19/amber-heard-to-give-7m-johnny-depp-divorce-settlement-to-charity/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the divorce was finalised in January 2017.<ref name=BBCsettlement>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38621519|title=Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Finalise Divorce|date=14 January 2017|access-date=14 January 2017|publisher=BBC|archive-date=28 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328005741/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38621519|url-status=live}}</ref> Depp and Heard issued a joint statement saying that their "relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm."<ref name=NYT/> Depp paid Heard a settlement of US$7&nbsp;million, which she pledged<ref name=HR2018>{{cite web|last1=Kilkenny|first1=Katie|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/amber-heards-legal-team-calls-johnny-depp-british-gq-profile-outrageous-1149224/|title=Amber Heard's Legal Team Calls Johnny Depp Profile 'Outrageous'|date=3 October 2018|work=]|location=Los Angeles |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> to donate to the ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/actress-amber-heard-donates-millions-support-aclu-and-its-work-fighting-violence|title=Actress Amber Heard Donates Millions to Support the ACLU and Its Work Fighting Violence Against Women|publisher=]|date=19 August 2016|access-date=23 May 2017|archive-date=28 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170528021633/https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/actress-amber-heard-donates-millions-support-aclu-and-its-work-fighting-violence|url-status=live}}</ref> and the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Amber Heard Honored for 7-Figure Donation to Children's Hospital Following Johnny Depp Divorce|url=http://people.com/movies/amber-heard-makes-7-figure-donation-childrens-hospital-after-johnny-depp-divorce/|work=]|publisher=]|location=New York City|first=Mike|last=Miller|date=9 April 2018|access-date=4 May 2018|archive-date=29 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129115105/https://people.com/movies/amber-heard-makes-7-figure-donation-childrens-hospital-after-johnny-depp-divorce/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Patten|first1=Dominic|url=https://deadline.com/2021/01/johnny-depp-abuse-lawsuit-amber-heard-charitable-donations-disputed-divorce-1234667028/|title=Johnny Depp Making 'Desperate Attempt' To Malign Amber Heard, 'Aquaman' Star's Lawyer Says; Admits Promised $7M Charitable Donations "Delayed"|work=] |access-date=3 March 2021|date=7 January 2021 |archive-date=21 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205531/https://deadline.com/2021/01/johnny-depp-abuse-lawsuit-amber-heard-charitable-donations-disputed-divorce-1234667028/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The settlement also included a non-disclosure agreement preventing either party from discussing their relationship publicly.<ref name=BBCsettlement/>
The two actors met in 2009 while filming '']''; according to Heard, their relationship began "around the end of 2011 or early 2012".<ref name=":10"/> They were engaged in January 2014, and, in February 2015, they married on Depp's private island in The Bahamas, Little Hall's Pond Cay.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Sledge |first=Philip |date=April 11, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp And Amber Heard: A Timeline Of Their Professional And Personal Relationship |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2490888/johnny-depp-and-amber-heard-a-timeline-of-their-professional-and-personal-relationship |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418151155/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2490888/johnny-depp-and-amber-heard-a-timeline-of-their-professional-and-personal-relationship |archive-date=April 18, 2022 |access-date=April 18, 2022 |website=]}}</ref> Heard filed for divorce on May 23, 2016, and obtained a temporary ] against Depp.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Libby |date=June 1, 2016 |title=New photos of Amber Heard show bruised eye and bloody lip |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-amber-heard-bruise-photos-20160601-snap-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190315024551/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-amber-heard-bruise-photos-20160601-snap-story.html |archive-date=March 15, 2019 |access-date=August 20, 2016 |website=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Massie |first=Graeme |date=April 20, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp says Amber Heard chose to file for restraining order on same day as Alice premiere and daughter's birthday |language=en |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/depp-heard-restraining-order-alice-b2062031.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525041919/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/depp-heard-restraining-order-alice-b2062031.html |archive-date=May 25, 2022}}</ref><ref name="YahrMay2">{{Cite news |last=Yahr |first=Emily |date=May 2, 2022 |title=Heard's lawyers grill Depp witnesses about damages to his reputation |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/02/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-reputation/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505201536/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/02/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-reputation/ |archive-date=May 5, 2022}}</ref> She also requested $50,000 a month in ], which was denied.<ref name="CNN-alimony">{{cite web |last1=France |first1=Lisa Respers |title=Amber Heard documents $43K a month in expenses |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/31/entertainment/amber-heard-johnny-depp-expenses/index.html |website=CNN |publisher=Cable News Network |access-date=26 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604003246/https://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/31/entertainment/amber-heard-johnny-depp-expenses/index.html |archive-date=4 June 2016 |date=1 June 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> In response, Depp alleged that she was "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse".<ref name="Yahr10Apr" /><ref name="CNN-alimony" /> Heard testified about the alleged abuse in a deposition during their divorce litigation, alleging that Depp had been "verbally and physically abusive" throughout their relationship, usually while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moreau |first=Jordan |date=April 11, 2019 |title=Amber Heard Claims Johnny Depp Threatened to Kill Her During Years of Abuse |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/amber-heard-johnny-depp-abuse-threatened-kill-1203187472/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205513/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/amber-heard-johnny-depp-abuse-threatened-kill-1203187472/ |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |access-date=April 19, 2019 |website=]}}</ref> The divorce received much publicity, with images of Heard's alleged injuries published by the media.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sarkisian |first1=Jacob |last2=Ntim |first2=Zac |date=May 5, 2022 |title=A complete timeline of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's tumultuous relationship |url=https://www.insider.com/johnny-depp-amber-heard-relationship-timeline-2020-7 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20220608054027/https://www.insider.com/johnny%2Ddepp%2Damber%2Dheard%2Drelationship%2Dtimeline%2D2020%2D7 |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=] }}</ref>{{Failed verification|reason=This appears to be an example of coverage rather than support for the claim that there was "much" coverage.|date=March 2023}}

A settlement was reached in August 2016, and the divorce was finalized in January 2017.<ref name="saad">{{Cite news |last=Saad |first=Nardine |date=April 13, 2022 |title=What you need to know about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's latest defamation trial |work=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-04-13/what-you-need-to-know-about-johnny-depp-and-amber-heards-latest-defamation-trial |url-status=live |access-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220511130309/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-04-13/what-you-need-to-know-about-johnny-depp-and-amber-heards-latest-defamation-trial |archive-date=May 11, 2022}}</ref> Heard withdrew the restraining order, and she and Depp released a joint statement stating that their relationship was "intensely passionate and periodically volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm."<ref name=Yahr10Apr/>

Depp paid Heard a divorce settlement of $7&nbsp;million, which she pledged to donate to the ] and the ].<ref name="Desperate">{{Cite web |last=Patten |first=Dominic |date=January 7, 2021 |title=Johnny Depp Making 'Desperate Attempt' To Malign Amber Heard, 'Aquaman' Star's Lawyer Says; Admits Promised $7M Charitable Donations 'Delayed' |url=https://deadline.com/2021/01/johnny-depp-abuse-lawsuit-amber-heard-charitable-donations-disputed-divorce-1234667028/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205531/https://deadline.com/2021/01/johnny-depp-abuse-lawsuit-amber-heard-charitable-donations-disputed-divorce-1234667028/ |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |access-date=March 3, 2021 |website=]}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Trepany |first=Charles |title=Judge sides with Johnny Depp: ACLU must reveal if Amber Heard donated $7M divorce settlement |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/07/30/johnny-depp-granted-request-aclu-confirm-amber-heard-donation/5438287001/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418085317/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/07/30/johnny-depp-granted-request-aclu-confirm-amber-heard-donation/5438287001/ |archive-date=April 18, 2022 |access-date=April 17, 2022 |website=]}}</ref> The settlement included a ] (NDA) preventing either party from discussing their relationship publicly.<ref name="Shah 5.25.2022"/> As of April 2022, Heard had paid less than half of what she promised to the ACLU from her divorce settlement over five years prior.<ref name=NPR22>{{cite news|first=Bill|last=Chappell|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095571524/amber-heard-aclu-donation-johnny-depp-defamation-trial|title=The ACLU says Amber Heard has paid less than half of her $3.5 million donation pledge|work=]|date=April 29, 2022|access-date=April 4, 2023|archive-date=March 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331162354/https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095571524/amber-heard-aclu-donation-johnny-depp-defamation-trial|url-status=live}}</ref> Much of what she had paid to that point was thought by the ACLU to have actually come from ] and Depp himself instead of Heard.<ref name=NPR22 />


===''Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd''=== ===''Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd''===
{{Main|Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd}}
In June 2018, Depp ], the company publishing the UK tabloid ''The Sun'', and its editor Dan Wootton for libel.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Russian|first=Ale|date=4 June 2018|title=Johnny Depp Sues U.K. Tabloid for Defamation Over Story Slamming Him and J.K. Rowling|url=https://people.com/movies/johnny-depp-sues-u-k-tabloid-for-defamation-over-story-slamming-him-and-j-k-rowling/|url-status=live|access-date=14 April 2021|website=People|language=en|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414004358/https://people.com/movies/johnny-depp-sues-u-k-tabloid-for-defamation-over-story-slamming-him-and-j-k-rowling/}}</ref><ref name=guardiannovembersecond>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/02/johnny-depp-loses-libel-case-against-sun-over-claims-he-beat-ex-wife-amber-heard|title=Johnny Depp loses libel case against Sun over claims he beat ex-wife Amber Heard|first1=Owen|last1=Bowcott|first2=Caroline|last2=Davies|work=]|location=London, England|date=2 November 2020|access-date=2 November 2020|archive-date=21 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205514/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/02/johnny-depp-loses-libel-case-against-sun-over-claims-he-beat-ex-wife-amber-heard|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=BBCnovembersecond>{{cite news|title=Depp loses libel case against The Sun newspaper|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54779430|date=2 November 2020|access-date=2 November 2020|archive-date=5 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505190012/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54779430|url-status=live}}</ref> The suit had to do with an article published by the tabloid in April 2018, where they had called him a wife beater and questioned author ]’s approval of Depp being cast in '']'', based on her books. He claimed that the aim of ''The Sun'' had been to convince their readers that he was a domestic abuser and to plea Rowling to drop him from the ''Fantastic Beasts'' film.<ref name=DeppOS>{{cite web|title=CLAIMANT'S OPENING STATEMENT FOR TRIAL: 7 JULY 2020|year=2020|publisher=High Court of Justice (Queen's Bench Division)}}</ref><ref name=DeppSA>{{cite web|title=CLAIMANT'S SKELETON ARGUMENT FOR TRIAL: 7 JULY - 27 JULY 2020|year=2020|publisher=High Court of Justice (Queen's Bench Division)}}</ref><ref name=pgaz_ev/><ref name=deadline>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/johnny-depp-attorney-statement-amber-heard-libel-trial-1202979290/|title=Johnny Depp Libel Trial: Actor's Attorney Says Amber Heard "Invented" Abuse Claims & Now He Wants "Vindication"|date=7 July 2020|access-date=23 March 2021|work=]|archive-date=12 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212181303/https://deadline.com/2020/07/johnny-depp-attorney-statement-amber-heard-libel-trial-1202979290/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Depp alleged that Heard had instead been the aggressor in the relationship and had lied about being abused as part of a hoax.<ref name=pressg_2019/><ref name=pgaz_ev/><ref name=reuters_depp>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-people-depp-idUSKCN24T1FD|title=Johnny Depp was victim of 'abuser' Heard, court told|date=28 July 2020|first=Alistair|last=Smout|access-date=23 March 2021|work=]|archive-date=10 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310225929/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-people-depp-idUSKCN24T1FD|url-status=live}}</ref> In their defence, NGN and Wootton argued that the articles reported the truth and that Depp had been abusive to Heard throughout their relationship, particularly when he was intoxicated.<ref name=proc_history/><ref name=deadline/> They presented 14 separate incidents on which they alleged that Depp had been violent towards Heard.<ref name=guardian_closing/><ref name=pressgazette_claims>{{cite news|url=https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/sun-defence-in-johnny-depp-libel-trial-relies-on-14-allegations-of-domestic-violence-denied-by-actor/|title=Sun defence in Johnny Depp libel trial relies on 14 allegations of domestic violence denied by actor|work=]|date=8 July 2020|access-date=25 March 2021|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320184146/https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/sun-defence-in-johnny-depp-libel-trial-relies-on-14-allegations-of-domestic-violence-denied-by-actor/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=NGN_OS>{{cite web|title=DEFENDANTS' OPENING STATEMENT FOR TRIAL 7 – 27 JULY 2020|year=2020|publisher=High Court of Justice (Queen's Bench Division)|pages=1–12}}</ref><ref name=NGN_SA>{{cite web|title=SKELETON ARGUMENT ON BEHALF OF THE DEFENDANTS For Trial, 7 – 27 July 2020|year=2020|publisher=High Court of Justice (Queen's Bench Division)|pages=1–12}}</ref>
In April 2018, UK tabloid '']'' published an article with an online title that described Depp as a "wife beater",<ref name="Yahr10Apr" /><ref name="Jacobs2May">{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Julia |date=May 2, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp Lost $22.5 Million 'Pirates' Role After Op-Ed, Manager Says |work=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/02/arts/johnny-depp-amber-heard.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220502233005/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/02/arts/johnny-depp-amber-heard.html |archive-date=May 2, 2022}}</ref> and, in June 2018, ], the publisher of ''The Sun'', and then executive editor ] for ].<ref name="Yahr10Apr" /><ref name=Jacobs2May/> Both Depp and Heard testified in the July 2020 trial, which focused on evaluating 14 alleged incidents of abuse.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 20, 2020 |title=Johnny Depp's libel case against the Sun adjourned |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/20/johnny-depps-libel-case-against-the-sun-in-high-court-adjourned |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108172524/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/20/johnny-depps-libel-case-against-the-sun-in-high-court-adjourned |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |access-date=March 22, 2021 |agency=]|newspaper=] |last1=Media |first1=P. A. }}</ref><ref name="variety_uk">{{Cite web |last=Maddaus |first=Gene |date=April 11, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp's Second Defamation Trial Gets Underway in Virginia |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-virginia-trial-1235229579/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524205845/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-virginia-trial-1235229579/ |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |access-date=May 14, 2022 |website=]}}</ref> In November 2020, Judge ] ruled in favor of the publisher, finding that the great majority of Depp's alleged assaults had been ]<ref name="Reuters civil standard" /><ref name="guardian-20201102b">{{Cite news |last1=Davies |first1=Caroline |last2=Bowcott |first2=Owen |date=November 2, 2020 |title=Johnny Depp trial: how the judge ruled on 14 alleged assaults |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/02/johnny-depp-trial-how-the-judge-ruled-on-14-alleged-assaults |url-status=live |access-date=November 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205551/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/02/johnny-depp-trial-how-the-judge-ruled-on-14-alleged-assaults |archive-date=March 21, 2021}}</ref> and, therefore, the paper's characterization of Depp was "]".<ref name=variety_uk/> The verdict found that Depp had assaulted Heard in 12 of the 14 alleged incidents and put her in fear of her life.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |date=November 2, 2020 |title=Johnny Depp loses libel case over Sun 'wife beater' claim |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54779430 |url-status=live |access-date=April 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505190012/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54779430 |archive-date=May 5, 2021}}</ref><ref name="nytimes_uk">{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Julia |date=April 21, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard: What We Know |work=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/arts/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528211844/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/arts/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial.html |archive-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> Judge Nicol rejected Depp's contention that Heard was a "]", saying in his ruling: "Her donation of the seven million US dollars to charity is hardly the act one would expect of a gold-digger."<ref>{{Cite news|first=Ben|last=Quinn |date=March 18, 2021 |title=Johnny Depp says 'lie' about charity donation influenced libel judge |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/18/johnny-depp-lie-charity-donation-libel-ruling |access-date=July 27, 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en |archive-date=August 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828074955/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/18/johnny-depp-lie-charity-donation-libel-ruling |url-status=live }}</ref> Heard later claimed in the 2022 Virginia trial that she was scheduled to pay the entire pledged donation within 10 years and that she was behind her payment schedule because of Depp's suits against her.<ref>{{cite news|work=]|url=https://www.insider.com/amber-heard-stopped-aclu-donations-johnny-depp-lawsuit-2022-5|title=Amber Heard says she never completed her pledged $7 million charity donations because Johnny Depp filed a $50 million lawsuit against her|first1=Jacob|last1=Shamsian|first2=Azmi|last2=Haroun|date=May 16, 2022|access-date=March 30, 2023|archive-date=May 16, 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20220516235358/https://www.insider.com/amber-heard-stopped-aclu-donations-johnny-depp-lawsuit-2022-5|url-status=live}}</ref>
Both Depp and Heard testified in person in the trial at the High Court in London in July 2020.<ref name=trial>]</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=]|title=Johnny Depp's libel case against the Sun adjourned|date=20 March 2020|access-date=22 March 2021|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/20/johnny-depps-libel-case-against-the-sun-in-high-court-adjourned|archive-date=8 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108172524/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/20/johnny-depps-libel-case-against-the-sun-in-high-court-adjourned|url-status=live}}</ref>

After the verdict, Depp resigned from the ''Fantastic Beasts'' film series at the request of ], the film's production company.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Walsh |first=Savannah |date=May 3, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp's Big-Screen Return Is Coming |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/05/johnny-depps-big-screen-return-is-coming |url-status=live |magazine=Vanity Fair |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504071128/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/05/johnny-depps-big-screen-return-is-coming |archive-date=May 4, 2022 |access-date=May 11, 2022}}</ref> In March 2021, the ] rejected Depp's request to appeal the verdict, concluding that the appeal had "no real prospect of success".<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=March 25, 2021 |title=Johnny Depp refused permission to appeal libel verdict |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56521759 |access-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604150831/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56521759 |url-status=live }}</ref> Lawyers for Depp had argued that he had not received a fair hearing, that Heard was an unreliable witness and that recently discovered evidence contradicts Heard's assertion about her donation of the divorce settlement sum, arguing that the Judge in deciding the case, gave great weight to Heard's testimony that she donated all her $7 million divorce settlement to charity. But the appeals judges concluded he had a "full and fair" trial, and that "the judge based his conclusions on each of the incidents on his extremely detailed review of the evidence specific to each incident in an approach of that kind there was little need or room for the judge to give weight to any general assessment of Ms. Heard's credibility."<ref name=":1" /><ref name="ind_uk">{{Cite news |last=Michallon |first=Clémence |date=May 12, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp and Amber Heard: A timeline of their relationship, allegations, and court battles |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-amber-heard-girlfriend-dating-relationship-assault-b2078224.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515125558/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-amber-heard-girlfriend-dating-relationship-assault-b2078224.html |archive-date=May 15, 2022}}</ref>

===Heard's op-ed in ''The Washington Post''===
In December 2018, '']'' published an ] written by Heard and titled "Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence—and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change."<ref name=heard_wapo_oped>{{Cite news |last=Heard |first=Amber |date=December 18, 2018 |title=Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change |newspaper=] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ive-seen-how-institutions-protect-men-accused-of-abuse-heres-what-we-can-do/2018/12/18/71fd876a-02ed-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412184930/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ive-seen-how-institutions-protect-men-accused-of-abuse-heres-what-we-can-do/2018/12/18/71fd876a-02ed-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |author-link=Amber Heard}}</ref><ref name="Yahr10Apr">{{Cite news |last=Yahr |first=Emily |date=April 10, 2022 |title=What to know about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's defamation trial |newspaper=] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/04/10/johnny-depp-amber-heard-case/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220410162533/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/04/10/johnny-depp-amber-heard-case/ |archive-date=April 10, 2022}}</ref><ref name="saad"/> {{Anchor|Heard3statements}}In the article, Heard stated: "Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out. I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse."<ref name=Yahr10Apr/><ref name="Barakat">{{Cite news |last=Barakat |first=Matthew |date=April 13, 2022 |title=Lawyer: Depp trial likely to become mudslinging soap opera |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-johnny-depp-amber-heard-virginia-arts-and-b6394fe9d8b6203ef6bbc3bb0f29531a |url-status=live |access-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421002502/https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-johnny-depp-amber-heard-virginia-arts-and-b6394fe9d8b6203ef6bbc3bb0f29531a |archive-date=April 21, 2022}}</ref> She further stated that, as a result of this, she had lost a film role and an advertising campaign for a global fashion brand.<ref name=nytimes_uk/> The op-ed called for Congress to re-authorize the ] and did not explicitly mention Depp by name.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Griffith |first=Janelle |date=March 4, 2019 |title=Johnny Depp sues ex-wife Amber Heard for $50&nbsp;million for allegedly defaming him |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/johnny-depp-sues-ex-wife-amber-heard-50-million-allegedly-n978976 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205616/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/johnny-depp-sues-ex-wife-amber-heard-50-million-allegedly-n978976 |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |access-date=April 12, 2019 |website=] |location=New York City}}</ref>

===Waldman's comments in the ''Daily Mail''===
Matters from Heard's counterclaims pursued through the trial related to three statements made by Depp's lawyer, Adam Waldman, and published by the '']'' in April and June 2020.

{{Anchor|Waldman3Statements}}First, Waldman stated that "Amber Heard and her friends in the media used fake sexual violence allegations as both sword and shield, depending on their needs. They have selected some of her sexual violence hoax 'facts' as the sword, inflicting them on the public and Mr. Depp."<ref name="CNverdict">{{Cite news |last=Hennessy |first=Joan |date=June 1, 2022 |title=Jurors mostly side with Depp in defamation case against Heard |work=] |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/jurors-mostly-side-with-depp-in-defamation-case-against-heard/ |access-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-date=June 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607054036/https://www.courthousenews.com/jurors-mostly-side-with-depp-in-defamation-case-against-heard/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="APverdict">{{Cite news |last=Rico |first=R. J. |date=June 1, 2022 |title=Explainer: Each count the Depp-Heard jurors considered |work=] |url=https://apnews.com/article/amber-heard-johnny-depp-entertainment-lawsuits-078f566e5a2486240bf776792b12e93d |access-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602080524/https://apnews.com/article/amber-heard-johnny-depp-entertainment-lawsuits-078f566e5a2486240bf776792b12e93d |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Anchor|Waldman2ndStatement}}Waldman's second statement regarded a 2016 incident in Depp and Heard's Hollywood penthouse: "Quite simply this was an ambush, a hoax. They set Mr. Depp up by calling the cops but the first attempt didn't do the trick. The officers came to the penthouses, thoroughly searched and interviewed, and left after seeing no damage to face or property. So, Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911."<ref name=CNverdict/><ref name="APverdict" />

{{Anchor|Waldman3rdStatement}}Third, Waldman stated: "We have reached the beginning of the end of Ms. Heard's abuse hoax against Johnny Depp."<ref name=CNverdict/><ref name="APverdict" />

== Civil action ==
In February 2019, Depp sued Heard over her December 2018 op-ed in ''The Washington Post''.<ref name=":22"/><ref name="varietymarch2019">{{Cite web |last=Nyren |first=Erin |date=March 2, 2019 |title=Johnny Depp Reportedly Sues Amber Heard for $50M Over Washington Post Op-Ed |url=https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-washington-post-op-ed-50-million-1203153857/amp/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505190114/https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-washington-post-op-ed-50-million-1203153857/amp/ |archive-date=May 5, 2021 |access-date=March 3, 2019 |website=] |location=Los Angeles, California |quote='The op-ed depended on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her,' Depp's lawyers allege.&nbsp;... 'This frivolous action is just the latest of Johnny Depp's repeated efforts to silence Amber Heard,' said Heard's attorney.}}</ref> Depp claimed that Heard's allegations were part of an elaborate hoax against him and repeated his allegation that Heard had been the one who violently abused him.<ref name="varietymarch2019" /> In August 2020, Heard countersued Depp over the three statements made by his attorney Adam Waldman. The trial was held at the ] ]. The location was chosen on the basis that the online edition and the print edition of ''The Washington Post''{{'}} op-ed are published in the county.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Domingo |first1=Ida |last2=Patrickis |first2=Caroline |date=April 26, 2022 |title=Psychologist hired by Johnny Depp testifies about Amber Heard's health is defamation trial |url=https://wset.com/news/local/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-fairfax-county-virginia-court-actor-testimony-ex-wife-accused-domestic-abuse-audio-recording-drug-use-drinking-arguments-cross-examination-isaac-baruch-paul-bettany-james-franco-elon-musk-washington-post |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430013033/https://wset.com/news/local/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-fairfax-county-virginia-court-actor-testimony-ex-wife-accused-domestic-abuse-audio-recording-drug-use-drinking-arguments-cross-examination-isaac-baruch-paul-bettany-james-franco-elon-musk-washington-post |archive-date=April 30, 2022 |access-date=April 30, 2022 |website=] |via=]}}</ref>

=== Pre-trial developments ===
In June 2020, several lawyers withdrew from Heard's legal team with her endorsement, including ] founder, ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Walters |first=Mike |date=June 15, 2020 |title=Amber Heard Loses 'Time's Up' Attorney Roberta Kaplan In Johnny Depp Case |work=Blast News |url=https://theblast.com/c/johnny-depp-amber-heard-lawyer-drops-out-roberta-kaplan-times-up-withdraw-virginia-defamation-case/ |access-date=July 23, 2022 |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628101816/https://theblast.com/c/johnny-depp-amber-heard-lawyer-drops-out-roberta-kaplan-times-up-withdraw-virginia-defamation-case/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 2020, the judge ruling on early pre-trial motions revoked ] for lawyer Adam Waldman to represent Depp in Virginia after Waldman leaked confidential information covered by a protective order to the media.<ref name="Waldman_Out">{{Cite news |last=Hennessy |first=Joan |date=December 28, 2021 |title=Lawyer for Johnny Depp Kicked Off Case After Press Leaks |work=Court House News |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/lawyer-for-johnny-depp-kicked-off-case-after-press-leaks/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101031206/https://www.courthousenews.com/lawyer-for-johnny-depp-kicked-off-case-after-press-leaks/ |archive-date=November 1, 2020}}</ref>

In August 2021, a New York judge ruled that the ] (ACLU) had to disclose documents related to Heard's charity pledge to the organization<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bryant |first=Kenzie |date=August 5, 2021 |title=Johnny Depp Gets Permission to Have the Records He's Looking for |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/johnny-depp-gets-permission-for-the-records-hes-looking-for |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807204239/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/johnny-depp-gets-permission-for-the-records-hes-looking-for |archive-date=August 7, 2021 |access-date=April 15, 2022 |website=]}}</ref> for which the ACLU would later demand payment.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nolan |first=Emma |magazine=] |url=https://www.newsweek.com/why-aclu-johnny-depp-86000-lawsuit-amber-heard-trial-1712028 |access-date=June 3, 2022 |title=Why the ACLU Is Asking Johnny Depp for $86,000 Ahead of Verdict |date=June 2022 |publisher=Newsweek |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602203546/https://www.newsweek.com/why-aclu-johnny-depp-86000-lawsuit-amber-heard-trial-1712028 |url-status=live }}</ref> Also in August 2021, Judge ] overruled a ] filed by Heard's lawyers for having the defamation suit dismissed on the basis of the verdict in Depp's lawsuit against the publishers of ''The Sun'', with Azcarate citing that: Heard had been a witness in the UK case (as opposed to a defendant), the facts alleged were different (Heard's allegedly defamatory statements were made after the English case commenced), and the parties had not been subject to the same ] procedures as in the United States.<ref name="Virginia Judge Allows Case 1">{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Eriq |date=August 18, 2021 |title=Johnny Depp Allowed Libel Suit Against Amber Heard Despite U.K. Ruling |work=] |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/johnny-depp-allowed-libel-suit-against-amber-heard-despite-u-k-ruling-1234998895/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817221600/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/johnny-depp-allowed-libel-suit-against-amber-heard-despite-u-k-ruling-1234998895/ |archive-date=August 17, 2021}}</ref>

In February 2022, over objections from Heard, Azcarate ordered to permit the broadcast of courtroom proceedings.<ref name="Variety televised" /> Depp's lawyer Benjamin Chew welcomed the cameras and stated that "Mr. Depp believes in transparency."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maddaus |first=Gene |date=2022-05-27 |title=Why Was Depp-Heard Trial Televised? Critics Call It 'Single Worst Decision' for Sexual Violence Victims |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-cameras-courtroom-penney-azcarate-1235280060/ |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Judge Azcarate, who worried that reporters might otherwise have come to the courthouse and potentially create hazardous conditions, said, "I don't see any good cause not to do it."<ref name="Variety televised" />

=== Trial ===

On April 11, 2022, the trial began in ], with a day to finalize ]; the trial ended in June 2022.<ref name="Wolfe">{{Cite news |last=Wolfe |first=Jan |date=April 12, 2022 |title=Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard face off again in U.S. libel trial |work=] |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/actors-johnny-depp-amber-heard-face-off-again-us-libel-trial-2022-04-11/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220411192514/https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/actors-johnny-depp-amber-heard-face-off-again-us-libel-trial-2022-04-11/ |archive-date=April 11, 2022}}</ref>

==== Opening statements ====
]s were made on April 12, 2022. Lawyers representing Depp accused Heard of fabricating domestic abuse accusations against Depp to further her career, saying that Heard made such allegations because Depp had asked for a divorce, and they further accused Heard of being the actual abuser in the relationship.<ref name="guardian_OS">{{Cite news |last=Helmore |first=Edward |date=April 12, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial: jurors hear conflicting accounts of marriage |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/12/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-opening-day |url-status=live |access-date=April 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415003522/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/12/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-opening-day |archive-date=April 15, 2022}}</ref> They argued that, while Heard's 2018 op-ed did not mention Depp, it was clear by implication that it referred to him, and that Heard's writing in the piece ("Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse") was a reference to her May 2016 restraining order request, in which she alleged that Depp had physically abused her. Depp's lawyers discussed Heard appearing in public with a bruised face on May 27, 2016, accusing her of staging the injury, citing that Depp had not met her since May 21, 2016, and that his witnesses had seen her without the injury in the days between May 21, 2016, and May 27, 2016. They also discussed several instances in which Depp alleges Heard instigated physical violence against him.<ref name="Barakat" />

Heard's lawyers claimed that Depp had physically and sexually abused Heard on multiple occasions throughout their relationship, usually triggered by his addiction to both alcohol and drugs.<ref name="Barakat" /><ref name=guardian_OS/><ref name="sky_OS">{{Cite news |last=Peplow |first=Gemma |date=April 12, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp and Amber Heard face off in court on first day of 'soap opera' libel trial in Virginia |work=] |url=https://news.sky.com/story/johnny-depp-and-amber-heard-face-off-in-court-on-first-day-of-soap-opera-libel-trial-in-virginia-12588780 |url-status=live |access-date=April 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415124850/https://news.sky.com/story/johnny-depp-and-amber-heard-face-off-in-court-on-first-day-of-soap-opera-libel-trial-in-virginia-12588780 |archive-date=April 15, 2022}}</ref> They accused Depp of seeking to "humiliate , haunt her, wreck her career" with the Virginia lawsuit and to turn the case into a "soap opera".<ref name=guardian_OS/> They further argued that the ] protected Heard's right to express her views in the op-ed, which was mostly focused on a broad discussion of domestic violence and did not explicitly mention Depp's name. Finally, Heard's lawyers stated that the allegations had not changed Depp's reputation, as they had become public knowledge two years prior to the op-ed, and that Depp had instead ruined his Hollywood career himself with his drinking and drug use; this made him "unreliable" in the eyes of major film studios.<ref name="Barakat" /><ref name="sky_OS" />

==== Testimony ====
Witness lists were submitted by both parties, prior to trial.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Patten|first=Dominic|date=March 18, 2022|title=Johnny Depp & Amber Heard's $100M Legal War Calls James Franco, Paul Bettany, Elon Musk, Disney & Warner Bros Reps As Witnesses At Trial; Jason Momoa & Bryan Lourd Emails Added To Court Docket|url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/johnny-depp-trial-amber-heard-lawsuit-domestic-abuse-james-franco-paul-bettany-elon-musk-disney-lapd-witnesses-1234982065/|website=Deadline|access-date=September 5, 2022|archive-date=August 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823193228/https://deadline.com/2022/03/johnny-depp-trial-amber-heard-lawsuit-domestic-abuse-james-franco-paul-bettany-elon-musk-disney-lapd-witnesses-1234982065/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- there was substantial media comment on potential witnesses with Fraco and Musk etc. subpoenaed. Reference can also be taken on rebuttal witnesses not on on original lists -->

Witness testimony began on April 12, following the parties' presentation of their opening statements, and ended on May 26.
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| + class="nowrap" | '''List of witnesses called by Depp''' for trial testimony from April 12, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 12, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp v Amber Heard - Day 1: Former couple in court for beginning of libel trial in Virginia (video timestamped to the testimony of Christi Dembrowski) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXTZyEY3u7s&t=14765s |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621200313/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXTZyEY3u7s&list=PLG8IrydigQfdKsFYAX-qaHwZD6wCVHplF&index=31&t=14765s |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|'''Christi Dembrowski''', Depp's sister and personal manager.<ref>{{cite web |last=Helmore |first=Edward |date=April 13, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp was not violent drug addict, sister tells defamation trial |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/13/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-sister-christi-dembrowski |access-date=April 15, 2022 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=April 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414181851/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/13/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-sister-christi-dembrowski |url-status=live }}</ref><br />
'''Isaac Baruch''', Depp's neighbor during his marriage to Heard.<ref name=sky_daytwo>{{cite web |last=Peplow |first=Gemma |date=April 13, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp's friend gets emotional in court – saying Amber Heard's domestic violence claim is 'fraudulent' |url=https://news.sky.com/story/johnny-depps-friend-gets-emotional-in-court-saying-amber-heards-domestic-violence-claim-is-fraudulent-12589568 |access-date=April 15, 2022 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=April 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415072427/https://news.sky.com/story/johnny-depps-friend-gets-emotional-in-court-saying-amber-heards-domestic-violence-claim-is-fraudulent-12589568 |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Brandon Patterson''', the general manager of the ].<ref name=sky_daytwo/>

'''Kate James''', Heard's former personal assistant.<ref name=guardian_laurel>{{cite web |last=Helmore |first=Edward |date=April 14, 2022 |title=Jury in Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation case hears of 'mutual abuse' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/14/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-mutual-abuse |access-date=April 15, 2022 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=April 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414221255/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/14/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-mutual-abuse |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Laurel Anderson''', Depp and Heard's therapist in 2015.<ref name=guardian_laurel/>

'''David Kipper''', Depp's private physician.<ref name=skynews_kipper>{{cite news |last1=Minelle |first1=Bethany |title=Johnny Depp v Amber Heard libel trial: Court shown photos of Depp with 'lacerations' and 'scratches' on face amid reports star will testify today |url=https://news.sky.com/story/johnny-depp-v-amber-heard-libel-trial-court-shown-photos-of-depp-with-lacerations-and-scratches-on-face-as-its-reported-star-will-testify-today-12593462 |access-date=April 27, 2022 |work=] |date=April 19, 2022 |archive-date=April 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427182420/https://news.sky.com/story/johnny-depp-v-amber-heard-libel-trial-court-shown-photos-of-depp-with-lacerations-and-scratches-on-face-as-its-reported-star-will-testify-today-12593462 |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Debbie Lloyd''', who worked with Kipper as a nurse.<ref name=skynews_kipper/>

'''Sean Bett''', Depp's security guard.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/johnny-depp-trial-security-guard-testimony-day-4/|title=Johnny Depp Trial: Security Guard Says He Warned Amber Heard, You're Going to 'Kill Each Other'|first=Jenyne|last=Donaldson|work=]|date=April 18, 2022|access-date=May 2, 2022|archive-date=May 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502195523/https://www.thewrap.com/johnny-depp-trial-security-guard-testimony-day-4/|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''Keenan Wyatt''', Depp's on-set audio technician since the 1990s.<ref name=Wyatt>{{Cite news |date=April 19, 2022 |title=Amber heard to Depp's sound engineer: 'How dare you talk to me' |work=] |url=https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/celebrities/2022/04/19/625ef9cfe2704e82808b45af.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421030838/https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/celebrities/2022/04/19/625ef9cfe2704e82808b45af.html |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |access-date=June 18, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Johnny Depp''', plaintiff and counterclaim defendant.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bakarat |first1=Matthew |title=Depp finishes 4 days on stand; filed lawsuit to 'fight back' |url=https://apnews.com/article/amber-heard-johnny-depp-entertainment-arts-and-lawsuits-d1009ce6bab302d61d0e44c6398589f7 |access-date=June 3, 2022 |work=] |date=April 26, 2022 |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602075615/https://apnews.com/article/amber-heard-johnny-depp-entertainment-arts-and-lawsuits-d1009ce6bab302d61d0e44c6398589f7 |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Ben King''', Depp's former house manager.<ref name=ind_king>{{cite news|first1=Gustaf|last1=Kilander|title=Johnny Depp house manager recalls finding tip of his finger on floor after vodka bottle fight with Amber Heard|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-ben-king-finger-b2065229.html|work=]|date=April 26, 2022|access-date=May 13, 2022|archive-date=May 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525032750/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-ben-king-finger-b2065229.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''Tara Roberts''', who had been the manager of Depp's island in the ] at the time of the relationship.<ref name=guardian_roberts/>

'''Shannon Curry''', a ] hired by Depp's team.<ref name=guardian_roberts>{{cite news|first1=Edward|last1=Helmore|title=Amber Heard evaluation revealed two personality disorders, psychologist says|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/26/amber-heard-johnny-depp-psychologist-shannon-curry-testimony|work=]|date=April 26, 2022|access-date=April 28, 2022|archive-date=April 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428001444/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/26/amber-heard-johnny-depp-psychologist-shannon-curry-testimony|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''Testimony of police officers''', who had responded to a May 2016 incident between the couple.<ref name="Independent via MSN LAPD 4.27.22">{{cite web |last=Kilander |first=Gustaf |date=April 27, 2022 |title=Police officers tell Johnny Depp trial they found no evidence of domestic violence after Amber Heard call |url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/police-officers-tell-johnny-depp-trial-they-found-no-evidence-of-domestic-violence-after-amber-heard-call/ar-AAWEO36 |access-date=April 28, 2022 |website=MSN |language=en-GB |archive-date=April 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428041034/https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/police-officers-tell-johnny-depp-trial-they-found-no-evidence-of-domestic-violence-after-amber-heard-call/ar-AAWEO36 |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Alejandro Romero''', who works at the front desk of the Eastern Columbia Building in Downtown Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Connell |first=Oliver |date=April 28, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp trial witness baffles court as he vapes in frustrated testimony from his car before driving off |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-amber-heard-witness-b2067601.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509230715/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-amber-heard-witness-b2067601.html |archive-date=May 9, 2022 |access-date=June 21, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Christian Carino''', who had previously been an agent for both Depp and Heard.<ref name=guardian_carino>{{cite news|first1=Edward|last1=Helmore|title=Amber Heard dated Elon Musk while trying to reconcile with Johnny Depp, agent says|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/27/talent-agent-christian-carino-testifies-depp-heard-trial|work=]|date=April 28, 2022|access-date=May 12, 2022|archive-date=May 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512195744/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/27/talent-agent-christian-carino-testifies-depp-heard-trial|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''Laura Wasser''', a divorce lawyer who represented Depp in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 27, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp v Amber Heard - Day 10: Cops 'saw no signs of violence' on call out to couple's last row (video timestamped to the testimony of Laura Wasser). |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toCJ9zzKH8s&t=22557s |work=] |access-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621180810/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toCJ9zzKH8s&list=PLG8IrydigQfdKsFYAX-qaHwZD6wCVHplF&index=18&t=22557s |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Terrence Dougherty''', chief operating officer of the ] testified.<ref name=guardianaclu/>

'''Edward White''', Depp's accountant.<ref name=guardianaclu>{{cite news|first1=Edward|last1=Helmore|title=ACLU helped draft article at heart of Depp v Heard case for $3.5m donation, court hears|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/28/johnny-depp-amber-heard-libel-case-aclu|work=]|date=April 28, 2022|access-date=May 12, 2022|archive-date=April 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429004246/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/28/johnny-depp-amber-heard-libel-case-aclu|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''Malcolm Connelly''', a security guard of Depp's.<ref name=connolly>{{cite news |last1=Kilander |first1=Gustaf |title=Johnny Depp's security guard tells of actor's honeymoon with Amber Heard as court sees bruised face photo |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-security-guard-honeymoon-b2067942.html |access-date=May 12, 2022 |work=] |date=April 28, 2022 |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512081943/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-security-guard-honeymoon-b2067942.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Starling Jenkins''', another of Depp's security guards.<ref name="jenkins">{{cite news |last1=Massie |first1=Graeme |date=April 29, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp security guard says Amber Heard called faeces in couple's bed a 'practical joke gone wrong' |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/depp-heard-trial-feces-bed-b2068020.html |access-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512195746/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/depp-heard-trial-feces-bed-b2068020.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Travis McGivern''', Depp's bodyguard.<ref name=ind_mcgivern>{{cite news |last1=Kilander |first1=Gustaf |title=Johnny Depp security guard tells of actor's shock when Amber Heard 'punched him in the face' during fight |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-amber-heard-punch-b2069902.html |access-date=May 12, 2022 |work=] |date=May 2, 2022 |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512210854/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-amber-heard-punch-b2069902.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Jack Whigham''', Depp's agent since October 2016.<ref name=wapo_whig>{{cite news |last1=Yahr |first1=Emily |title=Amber Heard expected to take the stand in defamation trial, Depp's security guard testifies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/02/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-reputation/ |access-date=May 1, 2022 |newspaper=] |date=May 3, 2022 |archive-date=May 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505201536/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/02/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-reputation/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Richard Marks''', an entertainment lawyer.<ref name=CNMay3>{{cite news |last1=Hennessy |first1=Joan |title=Witness says Heard op-ed created 'cancel situation' for Depp |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/witness-says-heard-op-ed-created-cancel-situation-for-depp/ |access-date=May 7, 2022 |work=] |date=May 2, 2022 |archive-date=May 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507092151/https://www.courthousenews.com/witness-says-heard-op-ed-created-cancel-situation-for-depp/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Doug Bania''', an intellectual property expert.<ref name=wapo_whig/>

'''Erin Falati''', Heard's nurse during the relationship.<ref name=ind_falati>{{cite news |last1=Kilander |first1=Gustaf |title=Amber Heard's nurse testifies about notes stating she was 'jealous and anxious' about Johnny Depp's career |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amber-heard-nurse-johnny-depp-b2070663.html |access-date=May 12, 2022 |work=] |date=May 3, 2022 |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513094403/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amber-heard-nurse-johnny-depp-b2070663.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Michael Spindler''', an economic damages expert.<ref name="spindler_dl">{{Cite news |date=May 3, 2022 |title=Judge Rejects Amber Heard's Motion To Toss Out Johnny Depp's Defamation Case |url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/judge-rejects-amber-heards-motion-to-toss-out-johnny-depps-defamation-case-1235015325/ |access-date=May 4, 2022 |work=] |language=en |first1=Ted |last1=Johnson |first2=Dominic |last2=Patten |archive-date=May 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504004658/https://deadline.com/2022/05/judge-rejects-amber-heards-motion-to-toss-out-johnny-depps-defamation-case-1235015325/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| + class="nowrap" | '''List of witnesses called by Heard''' for trial testimony from May 3, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 3, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp v Amber Heard - Day 13: Psychologist says Heard has PTSD from intimate partner violence (video timestamped to the testimony of Dawn Hughes) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpK4yh2EID4&t=14199s |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621200311/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpK4yh2EID4&list=PLG8IrydigQfdKsFYAX-qaHwZD6wCVHplF&index=14&t=14199s |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref>{{Cite news |last=Dill |first=Ashley |date=May 9, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp trial: Why is it not on TV, and when does it resume? |work=] |url=https://www.pennlive.com/life/2022/05/johnny-depp-trial-proceedings-will-resume-may-16-catch-up-on-previous-interviews.html |access-date=July 23, 2022 |archive-date=July 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220723180644/https://www.pennlive.com/life/2022/05/johnny-depp-trial-proceedings-will-resume-may-16-catch-up-on-previous-interviews.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|'''Dawn Hughes''', a board-certified forensic psychologist who was hired by Heard's legal team as an expert in traumatic stress, violence, and abuse.<ref name=JohnsonMay3>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Ted |last2=Patten |first2=Dominic |title=Amber Heard Alleged Sexual Assaults By Johnny Depp Detailed By Psychologist In $50M Defamation Trial – Update |url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/amber-heard-sexual-assault-johnny-depp-trial-testimony-1235015443/ |access-date=May 10, 2022 |work=] |date=May 3, 2022 |archive-date=May 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510164938/https://deadline.com/2022/05/amber-heard-sexual-assault-johnny-depp-trial-testimony-1235015443/ |url-status=live }}</ref><br />
'''Amber Heard''', defendant and counterclaim plaintiff.<ref name=dl_heard6>{{cite web|last1=Johnson|first1=Ted|last2=Patten|first2=Dominic|date=May 17, 2022|title=Amber Heard Testimony Ends As 'Aquaman' Star Insists Johnny Depp 'Guilty' Of Domestic Abuse; Actress' Status In DC Sequel Unclear She Says In $50M Trial – Update|url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-assault-cross-examination-1235025786/|access-date=May 18, 2022|website=Deadline|language=en|archive-date=May 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517222701/https://deadline.com/2022/05/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-assault-cross-examination-1235025786/|url-status=live}}</ref>

''']''', who had been a friend of Heard and who lived in one of Depp's penthouses in the Eastern Columbia Building.<ref name="ind_wright">{{cite news |last=Sharp |first=Rachel |date=May 18, 2022 |title=Amber Heard's friend claims Johnny Depp said he could 'punch her in the face' after they were married |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-io-tillett-wright-amber-heard-b2081301.html |access-date=May 18, 2022 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518020142/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-io-tillett-wright-amber-heard-b2081301.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Raquel Pennington''', who had been Heard's friend and who lived in one of Depp's penthouses.<ref name=henr_yahr/>

'''Joshua Drew''', who was Pennington's fiancé at the time.<ref name=ind_drew>{{cite news |last=Browning |first=Oliver |date=May 18, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp was 'cursing and spitting' at friend on night he allegedly abused Amber Heard |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-fight-b2082494.html |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519091308/https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-fight-b2082494.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Elizabeth Marz''', an acquaintance of Heard.<ref name="dl_marz">{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Ted |last2=Patten |first2=Dominic |date=May 18, 2022 |title=Amber Heard Acquaintance Tells $50M Trial Of Actress' 'Swollen Face' After Fight With 'Wasted' Johnny Depp – Update |url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-actress-friend-1235027145/ |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=Deadline |language=en |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518212646/https://deadline.com/2022/05/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-actress-friend-1235027145/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Whitney Henriquez''', Heard's younger sister.<ref name=henr_yahr>{{Cite news |last=Yahr |first=Emily |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Heard's sister says she witnessed physical fight with Depp |language=en-US |newspaper=] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/18/amber-heard-sister-saw-johnny-depp-physical-fight/ |access-date=May 19, 2022 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520175256/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/18/amber-heard-sister-saw-johnny-depp-physical-fight/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Melanie Inglessis''', Heard's former make-up artist and friend.<ref name=henr_yahr />

'''Kristina Sexton''', Heard's former acting coach.<ref name=inglessis>{{cite web |last=Hennessy |first=Joan |date=May 18, 2022 |title=Witnesses back up Amber Heard's claims of abuse |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/witnesses-back-up-amber-heards-claims-of-abuse/ |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=The Courthouse News |language=en |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519014017/https://www.courthousenews.com/witnesses-back-up-amber-heards-claims-of-abuse/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Bruce Witkin''', Depp's longtime friend.<ref name=mandel />

''']''', a ] agent who represented Depp from the 1990s until 2016.<ref name=variety_jacobs>{{cite web |last=Maddaus |first=Gene |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp's Agent Says His Star Power 'Dimmed' Due to On-Set Behavior |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-tracey-jacobs-uta-joel-mandel-1235272150/ |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=Variety |language=en |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519182259/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-tracey-jacobs-uta-joel-mandel-1235272150/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Joel Mandel''', Depp's former business manager.<ref name=mandel>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Actress Ellen Barkin testifies ex Johnny Depp was a controlling partner, 'always drinking' |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/05/19/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-bruce-witkin-jealousy-substance-abuse/9839874002/ |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=USA Today |language=en |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519182653/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/05/19/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-bruce-witkin-jealousy-substance-abuse/9839874002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

''']''', who had a brief sexual relationship with Depp and had appeared with him in '']'' (1998).<ref name=dl_barkin>{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Ted |last2=Patten |first2=Dominic |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp 'Always Drinking' & 'Controlling,' Ellen Barkin Tells $50M Trial; Disney Exec 'Not Aware' Amber Heard Op-Ed Played Any Part In Depp Not Getting 'Pirates 6' Role – Update |url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/johnny-depps-ex-uta-agent-reveals-actors-cash-strapped-woes-at-50-million-defamation-trial-1235028164/ |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=Deadline |language=en |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519160318/https://deadline.com/2022/05/johnny-depps-ex-uta-agent-reveals-actors-cash-strapped-woes-at-50-million-defamation-trial-1235028164/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Michele Mulroney''', Heard's former lawyer.<ref name=dl_barkin />

'''Tina Newman''', a production executive representing Disney.<ref name=dl_barkin />

'''Adam Waldman''', Depp's lawyer.<ref name=WaPoWaldman>{{Cite news |last=Andrews |first=Travis M. |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Defense witnesses describe Depp's behavior, damage to Heard's career |newspaper=] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/19/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-may-19/ |access-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-date=May 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529134816/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/19/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-may-19/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Jessica Kovacevic''', Heard's former agent.<ref name=variety_kov>{{cite web |last=Maddaus |first=Gene |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Amber Heard's Agent Says She Lost Work Amid Johnny Depp Backlash |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/amber-heard-johnny-depp-lost-work-1235272496/ |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=Variety |language=en |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519221109/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/amber-heard-johnny-depp-lost-work-1235272496/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

''']''', an expert witness on social-media data analysis.<ref name=wapo_schnell>{{Cite news |last=Andrews |first=Travis M. |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Defense witnesses describe Depp's behavior, damage to Heard's career |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/19/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-may-19/ |access-date=May 19, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en |archive-date=May 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529134816/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/19/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-may-19/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Alan Blaustein''', Depp's former psychiatrist.<ref name=ind_blaustein>{{Cite news |last=Sharp |first=Rachel |date=May 20, 2022 |title='Paranoid' Johnny Depp told psychiatrist of 'chaotic' relationship with Amber Heard |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-amber-heard-psychiatrist-b2083270.html |access-date=May 21, 2022 |work=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520184518/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-amber-heard-psychiatrist-b2083270.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Richard Moore''', an orthopedic surgeon called as an expert witness.<ref name="dl_heard_week6">{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Ted |last2=Patten |first2=Dominic |date=May 23, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp Now Won't Testify For Defense In $50M Trial Against Amber Heard – Update |url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-severed-finger-1235030279/ |access-date=May 25, 2022 |website=Deadline |language=en |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525000849/https://deadline.com/2022/05/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-severed-finger-1235030279/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''David Spiegel''', a psychiatrist called as an expert witness.<ref name=ind_spiegel>{{Cite news|last=Kilander|first=Gustaf|date=May 23, 2022|title=Johnny Depp fans unleash hundreds of negative reviews on psychiatrist after he testified for Amber Heard|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-psychiatrist-amber-heard-b2086129.html|access-date=May 23, 2022|work=The Independent|language=en|archive-date=May 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524135703/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-psychiatrist-amber-heard-b2086129.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''Kathryn Arnold''', an entertainment analyst called as an expert witness.<ref name="ind_arnold">{{Cite news |last=Bedigan |first=Mike |date=May 24, 2022 |title=Amber Heard set for 'meteoric rise' before Depp lawyer's 'defamatory' comments |language=en |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/amber-heard-kate-moss-jason-momoa-wonder-woman-james-wan-b2085768.html |access-date=May 23, 2022 |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524012722/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/amber-heard-kate-moss-jason-momoa-wonder-woman-james-wan-b2085768.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| + class="nowrap" | '''List of witnesses called by Depp in rebuttal''' for trial testimony from May 24, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 24, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp v Amber Heard - Day 21: Aquaman chemistry 'took a lot of effort' (video timestamped to the testimony of Walter Hamada) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_S85rD8_h4&t=4049s |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621200315/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_S85rD8_h4&list=PLG8IrydigQfdKsFYAX-qaHwZD6wCVHplF&index=7&t=4049s |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|''']''', the president of ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Hibberd |first=James |date=May 24, 2022 |title=DC Films Chief Denies Amber Heard's 'Aquaman 2' Claims |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/warner-bros-amber-heard-aquaman-2-1235153070/ |access-date=May 24, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524162249/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/warner-bros-amber-heard-aquaman-2-1235153070/ |url-status=live }}</ref><br />
'''David A. Kulber''', the surgeon who reconstructed Depp's finger in March 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/24/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-lawsuit-kate-moss|title=Judge rejects Depp bid to dismiss Heard counter-suit as Kate Moss set to testify|author=Helmore, Edward|work=The Guardian|date=May 24, 2022|access-date=May 26, 2022|archive-date=May 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525142658/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/24/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-lawsuit-kate-moss|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''Richard Marks''', entertainment lawyer and Hollywood expert.<ref name=sky_rebut>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=May 24, 2022 |title=Depp v Heard: Actress's $45m loss of earnings disputed as court told about 'lack of chemistry' in Aquaman |url=https://news.sky.com/story/depp-v-heard-actresss-45m-loss-of-earnings-disputed-as-court-told-about-lack-of-chemistry-in-aquaman-12620791 |access-date=May 25, 2022 |website=Sky News |language=en-US |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525001737/https://news.sky.com/story/depp-v-heard-actresss-45m-loss-of-earnings-disputed-as-court-told-about-lack-of-chemistry-in-aquaman-12620791 |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Michael Spindler''', an economic damages expert.<ref name=sky_rebut />

'''Douglas Bania''', an intellectual property expert.<ref name=sky_rebut />

'''Morgan Night''', the owner of a trailer park in ] where Depp and Heard spent a night in May 2013.<ref name=cowering>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-05-24/johnny-depp-hicksville-jennifer-howell-amber-heard|title=Johnny Depp was 'cowering' as Amber Heard yelled at him, a witness for Depp testifies|author=D'Zurilla, Christie|work=]|date=May 24, 2022|access-date=May 27, 2022|archive-date=May 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526213719/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-05-24/johnny-depp-hicksville-jennifer-howell-amber-heard|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''Richard Shaw''', a psychiatrist.<ref name=sky_rebut />

'''Jennifer Howell''', the founder of ] and former friend of Heard's sister Whitney Henriquez.<ref name=cowering />

'''Candie Davidson-Goldbronn''', of the ] (CHLA).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Rebecca |date=May 24, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp wins defamation trial against Amber Heard, awarded over $10m in damages / Amber Heard didn't pay promised $3.5 million to children's hospital, witness says |work=] live news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-court-case |access-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-date=June 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220606150427/https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-court-case |url-status=live }}</ref>

''']''', model who had a past relationship with Depp.<ref name=moss>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=May 25, 2022 |title=Depp v Heard: Kate Moss says actor 'never pushed me, kicked me or threw me down any stairs' |url=https://news.sky.com/story/depp-v-heard-kate-moss-says-actor-never-pushed-me-kicked-me-or-threw-me-down-any-stairs-12621264 |access-date=May 25, 2022 |website=Sky News |language=en-US |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525143540/http://news.sky.com/story/depp-v-heard-kate-moss-says-actor-never-pushed-me-kicked-me-or-threw-me-down-any-stairs-12621264 |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Shannon Curry''', a forensic psychologist hired by Depp's team.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Helen |title=Dr Shannon Curry Alleges Amber Heard's Psychologist 'Misrepresented' Results |work=] |url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/05/25/shannon-curry/ |access-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714172243/https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/05/25/shannon-curry/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Johnny Depp''', plaintiff and counterclaim defendant.<ref>{{Cite news |last=D'ZURILLA |first=CHRISTIE |date=May 25, 2022 |title='No matter what happens' in his trial with Heard, Johnny Depp says he spoke his truth |work=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-05-25/johnny-depp-rebuttal-testimony-amber-heard-defamation-trial |access-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714172248/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-05-25/johnny-depp-rebuttal-testimony-amber-heard-defamation-trial |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Morgan Tremaine''', a former employee of celebrity website ].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sachdeva |first1=Maanya |title=Former TMZ employee snaps back after Amber Heard lawyer suggests he's testifying for Johnny Depp for fame |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-trial-tmz-employee-b2088050.html |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=] |date=May 26, 2022 |archive-date=May 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529135218/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-trial-tmz-employee-b2088050.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Bryan Neumeister''', a forensic and metadata specialist.<ref name=McMurtrie >{{cite news |last1=McMurtrie |first1=Layla |title=Grosse Pointer Bryan Neumeister analyzes photos in Johnny Depp, Amber Heard libel case |url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2022/05/25/johnny-depp-amber-heard-grosse-pointe-native-bryan-neumeister/9931437002/ |access-date=June 26, 2022 |work=] |date=May 25, 2022 |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626083900/https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2022/05/25/johnny-depp-amber-heard-grosse-pointe-native-bryan-neumeister/9931437002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Beverly Leonard''', an employee of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at the time of an alleged incident in 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nikhil |first=Nikita |date=May 26, 2022 |title=Who is Beverly Leonard? Airport worker claims Amber Heard once assaulted a travelling companion at an airport |work=] |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/who-beverly-leonard-airport-worker-claims-amber-heard-assaulted-travelling-companion-airport |url-status=live |access-date=May 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409234505/https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/who-beverly-leonard-airport-worker-claims-amber-heard-assaulted-travelling-companion-airport |archive-date=April 9, 2023}}</ref>
|}

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| + class="nowrap" | '''List of witnesses called by Heard in rebuttal''' for trial testimony on May 26, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 26, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp v Amber Heard - Day 23: Heard makes emotional return to the stand as final witness (video timestamped to the testimony of Julian Ackert) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfDQuJSdSY4&t=2388s |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621200314/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfDQuJSdSY4&list=PLG8IrydigQfdKsFYAX-qaHwZD6wCVHplF&index=5&t=2388s |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|'''Julian Ackert''', a computer forensic investigator.<ref name=law&crimeexpertrebutt /><br />
'''Dawn Hughes''', a board-certified forensic psychologist.<ref name=law&crimeexpertrebutt>{{Cite news |last=Klasfeld |first=Adam |date=May 26, 2022 |title=Double Digit: Two Orthopedic Surgeons Intensify Battle of the Experts on Johnny Depp's Severed Fingertip |work=Law & Crime |url=https://lawandcrime.com/live-trials/johnny-depp/double-digit-two-orthopedic-surgeons-intensify-battle-of-the-experts-on-johnny-depps-severed-fingertip/ |access-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628032625/https://lawandcrime.com/live-trials/johnny-depp/double-digit-two-orthopedic-surgeons-intensify-battle-of-the-experts-on-johnny-depps-severed-fingertip/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Amber Heard''', defendant and counterclaim plaintiff.<ref name=Amberleavealone>{{Cite news |last=Sachdeva |first=Maanya |title=Amber Heard begs Johnny Depp 'leave me alone' claiming daily death threats over trial |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amber-heard-trial-johnny-depp-b2088160.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529135233/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amber-heard-trial-johnny-depp-b2088160.html |archive-date=May 29, 2022 |access-date=June 21, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

==== Closing arguments ====
Following the judge's reading of the trial's ]<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 27, 2022 |title=Depp-Heard trial live updates: Jury deliberations begin |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/live-blog/depp-heard-trial-live-updates-rcna30783 |work=NBC News |access-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629042152/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/live-blog/depp-heard-trial-live-updates-rcna30783 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 27, 2022 |title=WATCH LIVE: Johnny Depp v Amber Heard Defamation Trial Day 24 - Verdict Watch (video timestamped to Judge Azcarate's reading of the trial's jury instructions). |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjCWuESRvN8&t=4143s |website=] |access-date=July 25, 2022 |archive-date=July 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725175451/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjCWuESRvN8&list=PLoW1SIeAWaWb1IDY_WuLKvZygiJudUBSd&index=110&t=4143s |url-status=live }}</ref> on May 27, 2022, Depp's and Heard's legal teams presented their ]s.

Depp's legal team maintained that Heard was the abuser in their relationship and that Heard's allegations against Depp were untrue and had ruined his life.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Quay |first=Grayson |date=May 28, 2022 |title=Jury begins deliberations in Johnny Depp-Amber Heard libel trial |url=https://theweek.com/us/1013972/jury-begins-deliberations-in-johnny-depp-amber-heard-libel-trial |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528170453/https://theweek.com/us/1013972/jury-begins-deliberations-in-johnny-depp-amber-heard-libel-trial |archive-date=May 28, 2022 |access-date=May 28, 2022 |website=The Week |language=en}}</ref><ref name="GuardianResumeDeliberations" /> They asked the jurors to "give him his life back".<ref name="IndependentDeppLifeBack">{{Cite news |last=Sharp |first=Rachel |date=May 28, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp asks jurors to 'give him his life back' after it was 'ruined' by Amber Heard in closing argument |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-amber-heard-closing-statements-b2088903.html?src=rss |url-status=live |access-date=May 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529134814/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-depp-amber-heard-closing-statements-b2088903.html?src=rss |archive-date=May 29, 2022}}</ref> "You either believe all of it or none of it. Either Mr. Depp assaulted Ms. Heard with a bottle in Australia, or Ms. Heard got up on that stand, in front of all of you, and made up that horrific tale of abuse," lawyer ] told the jury. "An act of profound cruelty not just to Mr. Depp but to true survivors of domestic abuse."<ref name="IndependentDeppLifeBack" /> Vasquez told the court that Heard "came into this courtroom ready to give the performance of her lifetime and she gave it."<ref name="GuardianResumeDeliberations" /> Vasquez also argued that Heard "burns bridges" and "her close friends don't show up for her," because, according to Vasquez, apart from Heard's sister, every person who personally testified on behalf of Heard was a "paid expert", whereas many witnesses personally testified for Depp in court.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Daniell |first=Mark |date=May 27, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp's lawyers paint damning portrait of Amber Heard in closing arguments |work=] |url=https://ottawasun.com/entertainment/celebrity/johnny-depps-lawyers-paint-damning-portrait-of-amber-heard-in-closing-arguments-the-lies-have-grown/wcm/c9849c95-b22f-42e3-b1f3-a9929acaade6 |access-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527231603/https://ottawasun.com/entertainment/celebrity/johnny-depps-lawyers-paint-damning-portrait-of-amber-heard-in-closing-arguments-the-lies-have-grown/wcm/c9849c95-b22f-42e3-b1f3-a9929acaade6 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ryder |first=Taryn |date=May 27, 2022 |title=Jury deliberations begin in Johnny Depp, Amber Heard trial: Here are the possible outcomes |work=] |url=https://news.yahoo.com/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-closing-arguments-153106471.html |access-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602055347/https://news.yahoo.com/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-closing-arguments-153106471.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Heard's legal team maintained that Depp did abuse Heard, and that even if he did not abuse her, the op-ed was not libelous as it did not mention Depp by name nor directly address her allegations against him.<ref name=":4" /> They told jurors to "think about the message that Mr. Depp and his attorneys are sending to Amber and victims of domestic abuse." "If you didn't take pictures, it didn't happen," Benjamin Rottenborn, a lawyer for Heard, said. "If you didn't seek medical attention, you weren't injured." He claimed Depp "cannot and will not take responsibility. It's all somebody else's fault." He told jurors that "if Amber was abused by Mr. Depp even one time, then she wins."<ref name="GuardianResumeDeliberations">{{Cite news |last=Helmore |first=Edward |date=May 27, 2022 |title=Depp-Heard trial: jury to resume deliberations on Tuesday |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/27/johnny-depp-amber-heard-case-closing-arguments |access-date=May 29, 2022 |archive-date=May 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529001101/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/27/johnny-depp-amber-heard-case-closing-arguments |url-status=live }}</ref> Rottenborn accused Depp of "victim blaming at its most disgusting".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Patrick |first=Holly |date=May 28, 2022 |title=Amber Heard's lawyer accuses Depp of 'victim blaming at its most disgusting' |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/amber-heard-victim-blaming-depp-b2089534.html |access-date=May 29, 2022 |archive-date=June 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610081342/https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/amber-heard-victim-blaming-depp-b2089534.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Verdict ====
On June 1, 2022, after nearly two days of deliberations,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61668780|title=Depp-Heard trial: Jury sides mostly with Depp in defamation case|date=June 2, 2022|work=]|access-date=June 29, 2022|archive-date=June 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622115502/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61668780|url-status=live}}</ref> the jury found that Depp had proven all the elements of defamation for ] from Heard's 2018 op-ed, including that the statements were false, and that Heard defamed Depp with ].<ref name=CNverdict/><ref name="APverdict" /> The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from Heard.<ref name="APverdict"/> The punitive damages, however, were reduced to $350,000 due to a limit imposed by Virginia state law.<ref name="NPRreduced">{{Cite news |last1=Chappell |first1=Bill |last2=Diaz |first2=Jaclyn |date=June 1, 2022 |title=Depp is awarded more than $10M in defamation case against Heard and she gets $2M |work=] |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/01/1102118755/depp-heard-trial-verdict |access-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601231157/https://www.npr.org/2022/06/01/1102118755/depp-heard-trial-verdict |url-status=live }}</ref>

In regard to Heard's counterclaim, the jury found ] of the three contested statements that Depp's former lawyer Adam Waldman had published in the ''Daily Mail'' to be defamatory and false, defaming Heard with actual malice.<ref name="APverdict" /> Regarding the other two ], the jurors concluded that Heard's attorneys had not proven all the elements of defamation.<ref name=CNverdict/><ref name="APverdict" /> Heard was awarded $2 million in ] from Depp but no punitive damages.<ref name=CNverdict/><ref>{{cite news |date=June 1, 2022 |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/depp-awarded-us-10m-heard-2m-in-split-libel-lawsuit-verdict-1.5927737 |title=Johnny Depp awarded US$10M, Amber Heard $2M in split libel lawsuit verdict |work=CTV News |agency=] |access-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905162354/https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/depp-awarded-us-10m-heard-2m-in-split-libel-lawsuit-verdict-1.5927737 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Post-trial motions===

On July 1, 2022, Heard's legal team asked the court to set aside the verdict in favor of Depp in its entirety, dismiss the complaint or order a new trial. Their arguments included that (1) Heard "never edited or played any role with respect to the headline" and "never even became aware of the headline until Mr. Depp filed the lawsuit against her";<ref name="Hennessy 07.01.22">{{Cite web |last=Hennessy |first=Joan |date=July 1, 2022 |title=Amber Heard's attorneys ask court to set aside defamation verdict |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/amber-heards-attorneys-ask-court-to-set-aside-defamation-verdict/ |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=Courthouse News |language=en-US |archive-date=July 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703025101/https://www.courthousenews.com/amber-heards-attorneys-ask-court-to-set-aside-defamation-verdict/ |url-status=live }}</ref> (2) that "Depp's award was excessive" and that, though Depp had "represented to the court he would limit his damages to the period Dec. 18, 2018 through Nov. 2, 2020," he "continued to urge the jury to restore his reputation and legacy to his children as a result of Ms. Heard accusing Mr. Depp in May 2016 of domestic violence";<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Bryant|first=Kenzie|date=July 5, 2022|title=Amber Heard Seeks to Throw Out Verdict of Johnny Depp's Defamation Case|access-date=September 5, 2022|magazine=Vanity Fair|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/07/amber-heard-seeks-to-throw-out-verdict-of-johnny-depps-defamation-case|archive-date=July 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716014529/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/07/amber-heard-seeks-to-throw-out-verdict-of-johnny-depps-defamation-case|url-status=live}}</ref> (3) one juror was listed as born in 1945 in a court list, but public information "demonstrates that he appears to have been born in 1970".<ref>{{cite news|date=July 3, 2022|last=Helmore|first=Edward|title=Amber Heard's attorneys request defamation verdict be tossed|access-date=September 5, 2022|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/03/amber-heard-johnny-depp-defamation-case-verdict-tossed-request|archive-date=September 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904173055/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/03/amber-heard-johnny-depp-defamation-case-verdict-tossed-request|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hennessy 07.01.22"/>

On July 13, 2022, Azcarate denied several of Heard's post-trial motions for "reasons stated on the record" but provided further explanation regarding the disputed juror. She stated that the summons issued to the juror "listed his legal name and address and no birth date was noted", that the juror had provided his proper birth date when answering a court questionnaire and that Heard's legal team had neither alleged nor "shown evidence of prejudice" by the juror. She also noted that the parties had "] for a full day and informed the court that the jury panel was acceptable"; and that "a party cannot wait until receiving an adverse verdict to object, for the first time, to an issue known since the beginning of trial."<ref name="PostReject">{{cite news |last1=Hennessy |first1=Joan |title=Virginia judge denies Heard bid for new trial in Depp defamation case |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/virginia-judge-denies-heard-bid-for-new-trial-in-depp-defamation-case/ |access-date=July 15, 2022 |work=] |date=July 13, 2022 |archive-date=July 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716112418/https://www.courthousenews.com/virginia-judge-denies-heard-bid-for-new-trial-in-depp-defamation-case/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She concluded that "he only evidence before this court is that this juror and all jurors followed their oaths, the court's instructions and orders. This court is bound by the competent decision of the jury."<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 13, 2022|title=Judge denies Amber Heard's request for mistrial in lawsuit won by ex-husband Johnny Depp|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/amber-heard-mistrial-request-rejected-1.6519512|work=CBC News|agency=The Associated Press|access-date=September 5, 2022|archive-date=September 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905162356/https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/amber-heard-mistrial-request-rejected-1.6519512|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PostReject" />

=== Appeals, settlement and carrier lawsuit ===
Heard appealed the judgment against her in October 2022 while Depp appealed his in November 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thurston |first1=Joshua |title=Amber Heard appeals against $10m libel award to Johnny Depp |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/amber-heard-appeals-against-10m-libel-award-to-johnny-depp-fxhwz50mg |work=] |date=October 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221013121740/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/amber-heard-appeals-against-10m-libel-award-to-johnny-depp-fxhwz50mg |archive-date=October 13, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Browning |first1=Justine |title=Johnny Depp files to appeal Amber Heard's 'erroneous' $2 million trial win |url=https://ew.com/celebrity/johnny-depp-appeals-amber-heards-2-million-trial-win/ |access-date=November 29, 2022 |magazine=] |date=November 3, 2022}}</ref>

Heard and Depp settled the case in December 2022 and dropped their appeals, with Heard stating that even if her appeal had succeeded, she "simply cannot go through" a retrial having "lost faith in the American legal system". She maintained that the settlement was "not an act of concession" and that she had not agreed to any "restrictions or ]" going forward. Depp's lawyers stated that the "jury's unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp's favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place", and that the settlement would result in $1&nbsp;million being paid to Depp by Heard's insurance, which "Depp is pledging and will donate to charities".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Honderich |first1=Holly |title=Amber Heard settles defamation case against Johnny Depp |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64031252 |access-date=December 19, 2022 |work=] |date=December 19, 2022 |archive-date=December 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219153106/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64031252 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Diaz |first1=Merrit |title=Amber Heard said she has decided to settle Johnny Depp's case against her |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/12/19/1144132687/amber-heard-johnny-depp-settlement |access-date=December 20, 2022 |work=] |date=December 19, 2022 |archive-date=December 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219234326/https://www.npr.org/2022/12/19/1144132687/amber-heard-johnny-depp-settlement |url-status=live }}</ref>

Prior to the publication of the op-ed in 2018, Heard took out homeowner's insurance carrier policies with two companies that covered costs associated with defamation lawsuits. One of these companies, New York Marine and General Insurance Co., filed a lawsuit against Heard following the verdict, claiming that because the jury ruled the defamatory statements were made with "]", they were exempt from providing ] to Heard.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/how-insurance-plays-into-johnny-depp-v-amber-heard-defamation-trial-2023-02-10/|title=How insurance plays into the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard defamation trial|author1=Ezra, Erin Mindoro|author2=Rice, Jamie L.|author3=Angelini, Tyler J.|work=]|date=February 10, 2023|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423205847/https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/how-insurance-plays-into-johnny-depp-v-amber-heard-defamation-trial-2023-02-10/|url-status=live}}</ref> The company also refused to cover any portion of Heard's legal fees for the trial, which she testified had exceeded $6 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-07-08/amber-heard-faces-lawsuit-insurance-company-johnny-depp-case|title=Amber Heard faces new legal battle, this time with her insurer over Depp suit|author=Sakoui, Anousha|work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 8, 2022|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=July 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711003815/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-07-08/amber-heard-faces-lawsuit-insurance-company-johnny-depp-case|url-status=live}}</ref> The company is suing Heard and another insurance provider for a ] exempting them from any claim tied to the judgement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/amber-heard-insurance-claim-collect-johnny-depp/|title=Amber Heard's Insurance Company Says It Won't Help Her Pay Johnny Depp's $10.4 Million Jury Prize|author=Dickey, Josh|work=]|date=July 11, 2022|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423205847/https://www.thewrap.com/amber-heard-insurance-claim-collect-johnny-depp/|url-status=live}}</ref> The case is still pending as of July 2023, in spite of Heard's request that the court dismiss the case.<ref>"". March Publications. July 11, 2023.</ref>

==Reactions==
The trial drew much attention from supporters of either Depp or Heard as well as the broader public. At the start of the trial, several legal experts suggested that Depp had a smaller chance of winning than he did in the previous UK trial, citing the strong free speech protections in the US.<ref name=":72">{{Cite news |date=June 2, 2022|last=Levinson-King|first=Robin|title=Depp-Heard trial: Why Johnny Depp lost in the UK but won in the US |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61673676 |access-date=June 6, 2022 |archive-date=June 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605133001/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61673676 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":822"/>

===Livestream===
The trial was live-streamed, with very high viewing figures and video clips being widely shared on social media. The president of the ''Law & Crime'' network, Rachel Stockman, observed that the average daily viewership on their app was fifty times higher than before the trial.<ref name="Rothschild" />

The decision by Judge Azcarate to allow livestreaming, a rarity in Virginia courts, has been criticized. Some observers expressed concern that it would discourage victims of domestic violence from speaking out; ], a professor at Stanford Law School, stated, "Allowing this trial to be televised is the single worst decision I can think of in the context of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in recent history, it has ramifications way beyond this case."<ref name="Variety televised">{{Cite web |last1=Maddaus |first1=Gene |date=May 27, 2022 |title=Why Was Depp-Heard Trial Televised? Critics Call It 'Single Worst Decision' for Sexual Violence Victims |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-cameras-courtroom-penney-azcarate-1235280060/ |access-date=July 19, 2022 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707081030/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-cameras-courtroom-penney-azcarate-1235280060/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Benchetrit |first=Jenna |date=April 24, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp, Amber Heard libel trial is nothing short of a media circus |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/depp-heard-media-circus-1.6428583 |website=] |access-date=July 27, 2022 |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618130111/https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/depp-heard-media-circus-1.6428583 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Amanda Hess, a critic writing for '']'', opined that the broadcasting of the trial "is an invitation for the proceedings to be deliberately, even gleefully tailored to a viewer's whim", with internet platforms like TikTok and YouTube being "practically built to manipulate raw visual materials in the service of a personality cult, harassment campaign or branding opportunity."<ref name="nyt-sensationalized">{{Cite news |last=Hess |first=Amanda |date=May 26, 2022 |title=TikTok's Amber Heard Hate Machine |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/arts/amber-heard-tiktok-johnny-depp.html |access-date=June 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603210941/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/arts/amber-heard-tiktok-johnny-depp.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On the other hand, Kellie Lynch, an associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at ], praised the trial for "afford an opportunity to openly discuss the nuances of IPV that are often overlooked".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lynch |first=Kellie |date=June 1, 2022 |title=Heard v. Depp trial was not just a media spectacle – it provided an opportunity to discuss the nuances of intimate partner violence |url=http://theconversation.com/heard-v-depp-trial-was-not-just-a-media-spectacle-it-provided-an-opportunity-to-discuss-the-nuances-of-intimate-partner-violence-182843 |access-date=June 18, 2022 |website=The Conversation |language=en |archive-date=June 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616131226/https://theconversation.com/heard-v-depp-trial-was-not-just-a-media-spectacle-it-provided-an-opportunity-to-discuss-the-nuances-of-intimate-partner-violence-182843 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Social media coverage===
Data collected by ] from April 4 to May 16, 2022, indicated that news articles about the trial had generated more social-media interactions per article in the United States than all other significant news topics, including the ], ], ], and the ].<ref name="Rothschild">{{Cite news |last1=Rothschild |first1=Neal |last2=Fischer |first2=Sara |date=May 17, 2022 |title=America more interested in Depp-Heard trial than abortion |work=] |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/05/17/amber-heard-johnny-depp-trial-social-media |url-status=live |access-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521003800/https://www.axios.com/2022/05/17/amber-heard-johnny-depp-trial-social-media |archive-date=May 21, 2022}}</ref> ], ], and ] users expressed opinions about the case or rallied against others doing the same.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Dahir |first=Ikran |date=April 29, 2022 |title=All Rise, The TikTok Courtroom Of Amber Heard And Johnny Depp Is Now In Session |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ikrd/milani-cosmetics-tiktok-about-johnny-depp-and-amber-heard |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429143632/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ikrd/milani-cosmetics-tiktok-about-johnny-depp-and-amber-heard |archive-date=April 29, 2022 |access-date=April 29, 2022 |website=] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="memes">{{Cite news |last=Michallon |first=Clemence |date=May 5, 2022 |title=The unbearable memeification of the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/johnny-depp-amber-heard-memes-reddit-tiktok-b2076344.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511090458/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/johnny-depp-amber-heard-memes-reddit-tiktok-b2076344.html |archive-date=May 11, 2022}}</ref><ref name="variety_tiktok">{{Cite news |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=May 9, 2022 |title=TikTok Viral Trend: Videos Ridiculing Amber Heard's Testimony in Johnny Depp Case |work=] |url=https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/tiktok-videos-mock-amber-heard-johnny-depp-1235262321/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511233101/https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/tiktok-videos-mock-amber-heard-johnny-depp-1235262321/ |archive-date=May 11, 2022}}</ref> Clips of the trial were used to create memes, compilation or reaction videos, with multiple such videos ].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hobbes |first1=Michael |last2=Molloy |first2=Parker |date=June 3, 2022 |title=What Really Happened at the Amber Heard–Johnny Depp Trial |work=] |url=https://slate.com/culture/2022/06/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-verdict-evidence-truth.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604005604/https://slate.com/culture/2022/06/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-verdict-evidence-truth.html |archive-date=June 4, 2022}}</ref> Those posting about the trial on social media were seen to mostly support Depp<ref name=":0" /> and oppose Heard.<ref name="Degrading memes">{{Cite news |last=De Couto |first=Sarah |date=May 10, 2022 |title=TikTok creators take aim at Amber Heard with degrading memes amid Johnny Depp trial |work=] |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8822873/amber-heard-johnny-depp-trial-memes-tik-tok/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529134809/https://globalnews.ca/news/8822873/amber-heard-johnny-depp-trial-memes-tik-tok/ |archive-date=May 29, 2022}}</ref><ref name="variety_tiktok" /> Videos carrying the ] #justiceforjohnnydepp had attained over 18 billion views on TikTok by the trial's conclusion.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 1, 2022 |title=Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's 'Trial by TikTok' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61649522 |access-date=June 6, 2022 |archive-date=June 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605214659/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61649522 |url-status=live }}</ref> '']'' reported that, between April 25 and 29, 2022, there were 1,667 posts uploaded to ] using the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp, with over 7 million total interactions, i.e., likes and shares between them. In comparison, Heard only had 16 posts in support, with 10,415 interactions. Additionally, on TikTok, videos tagged with #JusticeForJohnnyDepp had over 5 billion combined views, while videos tagged with #JusticeForAmberHeard had only 21 million combined views as of April 29.<ref name=":0" />

Bill Goodykoontz of '']'' criticized the social media coverage of the trial, stating that "Depp and Heard are real people with real problems, after all, not just meme fodder and hashtag subjects," and that "the vile nature of some of the misogynistic tweets and TikTok videos posted about Heard were ] at its worst."<ref name="az-central-sensationalized">{{Cite web |last=Goodykoontz |first=Bill |date=June 1, 2022 |title=How the media covered the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard verdict, and why audiences cared so much |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/media/2022/06/01/johnny-depp-amber-heard-verdict-media-reaction/7475369001/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906071350/https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/media/2022/06/01/johnny-depp-amber-heard-verdict-media-reaction/7475369001/ |archive-date=September 6, 2022 |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}</ref> Katherine Denkinson of '']'' likened the social media backlash against Heard and her supporters during the trial to ], claiming that "the anti-Amber train has been expertly commandeered by the ]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Denkinson |first=Katherine |date=May 27, 2022 |title=From Gamergate to AmberTurd: alt-right hijacks the Depp v Heard trial |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/depp-heard-trial-gamergate-amberturd-altright-b2088919.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613032957/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/depp-heard-trial-gamergate-amberturd-altright-b2088919.html |archive-date=June 13, 2022 |access-date=June 13, 2022 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> Journalist Amelia Tait of '']'' wrote that ''Depp v. Heard'' had turned into "trial by TikTok", stating that the case had become "a source of comedy" on social media.<ref name="tait">{{Cite news |last=Tait |first=Amelia |date=May 11, 2022 |title='Amber Heard v Johnny Depp' has turned into trial by TikTok – and we're all the worse for it |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/11/amber-heard-jonny-depp-trial-tiktok-fans |url-status=live |access-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511051739/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/11/amber-heard-jonny-depp-trial-tiktok-fans |archive-date=May 11, 2022}}</ref> Similar themes were noted by journalists at '']'',<ref name=":0" /> '']'',<ref name="memes" /><ref name="hundal">{{Cite news |last=Hundal |first=Sunny |date=May 6, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp was lovable onscreen – it doesn't mean he's a nice guy |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/johnny-depp-trial-amber-heard-memes-b2072072.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511194346/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/johnny-depp-trial-amber-heard-memes-b2072072.html |archive-date=May 11, 2022}}</ref> and '']''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Cai |first=Delia |date=May 12, 2022 |title=What's Really Driving the Memeing of the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Trial? |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/05/whats-really-driving-the-memeing-of-the-johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial |url-status=live |magazine=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512164205/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/05/whats-really-driving-the-memeing-of-the-johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |access-date=May 12, 2022}}</ref> ] of '']'', remarking upon social media reactions about Depp and Heard, opined that "There clearly isn't a gender divide here either. A lot of women have taken Johnny Depp's side, and a lot of vocal men are on Heard's side. But it can also be true that social media coverage of this case has subtly played into traditional, sexist tropes about men and women."<ref name="hundal" /> Columnist ], writing for '']'' and the ], argued that the trial "exposed the fallacy of mutual abuse"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Katie |date=2022-04-25 |title=Trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard exposes the fallacy of 'mutual abuse' |url=https://inews.co.uk/opinion/trial-between-johnny-depp-and-amber-heard-exposes-the-fallacy-of-mutual-abuse-1594127 |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> and claimed that "war criminals guilty of atrocities don't get as much vitriol" as Heard.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-27 |title=Opinion: Why does the internet hate Amber Heard more than Putin? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/amber-heard-johnny-depp-trial-putin-b2088737.html |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> ] argued that Depp's gender allowed the courtroom audience to "accept him as flawed, vulnerable, human, and to view her as monstrous," contending that "elebrity and masculinity confer mutually reinforcing advantages."<ref name="A.O.">{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=A. O.|author-link=A.O. Scott|date=June 2, 2022 |title=The Actual Malice of the Johnny Depp Trial |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/arts/depp-heard-trial-malice.html |access-date=June 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604040851/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/arts/depp-heard-trial-malice.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Misinformation was widely shared, with researchers identifying bots artificially spreading content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Aja |date=May 20, 2022 |title=The Depp-Heard trial is monstrous. It's just the start. |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/23131538/johnny-depp-amber-heard-tiktok-snl-extremism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719202646/https://www.vox.com/culture/23131538/johnny-depp-amber-heard-tiktok-snl-extremism |archive-date=July 19, 2022 |access-date=July 19, 2022 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref> For example, social media users falsely alleged that Heard copied quotes from the film '']'' (1999) in her testimony.<ref name="Evon">{{Cite web |last=Evon |first=Dan |date=May 5, 2022 |title=Did Amber Heard Steal 'Talented Mr. Ripley' Lines During Depp Trial? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/amber-heard-johnny-depp-trial/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510215240/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/amber-heard-johnny-depp-trial/ |archive-date=May 10, 2022 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |website=] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Putterman |first=Samantha |date=May 9, 2022 |title=Amber Heard didn't steal lines from 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' during testimony in Depp trial |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/may/09/facebook-posts/amber-heard-didnt-steal-lines-talented-mr-ripley-d/ |access-date=May 30, 2022 |website=] |language=en-US |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612023946/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/may/09/facebook-posts/amber-heard-didnt-steal-lines-talented-mr-ripley-d/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Widely shared falsehoods that Heard was using cocaine on the stand were also disproven.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ibrahim |first=Nur |date=May 10, 2022 |title=Does Video Show Amber Heard Sniffing Cocaine at Depp v. Heard Trial? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/amber-heard-sniff-cocaine-trial/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526120932/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/amber-heard-sniff-cocaine-trial/ |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |access-date=May 26, 2022 |website=Snopes |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Curet |first=Monique |date=May 12, 2022 |title=No evidence Amber Heard used cocaine in court |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/may/12/facebook-posts/no-evidence-amber-heard-used-cocaine-court/ |access-date=May 30, 2022 |website=PolitiFact |language=en-US |archive-date=June 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615203730/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/may/12/facebook-posts/no-evidence-amber-heard-used-cocaine-court/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Shannon Keating, a culture writer and editor for ''BuzzFeed News'', wrote that the "social media frenzy around this case was clearly fueled by savvy PR", bots, and conservative media advertising, with the result that "lots of people have happily accepted the propaganda as sacrosanct."<ref name="buzzfeed-news-1">{{Cite web |last=Keating |first=Shannon |date=May 31, 2022 |title=Mainstream Feminism Has Failed Us |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/shannonkeating/abortion-rights-amber-heard-girlboss-feminism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601201408/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/shannonkeating/abortion-rights-amber-heard-girlboss-feminism |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=BuzzFeed News |language=en}}</ref> In May 2022, the media non-profit The Citizens and '']'' reported that the conservative website '']'' had spent between $35,000 and $47,000 on Facebook and Instagram advertisements and have promoted "misleading information about the trial" and "anti-Amber Heard ]".<ref>{{Cite web |last1=McCool |first1=Alice |last2=Narayanan |first2=Manasa |date=May 19, 2022 |title=The Daily Wire Spent Thousands of Dollars Promoting Anti-Amber Heard Propaganda |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/3ab3yk/daily-wire-amber-heard-johnny-depp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704125321/https://www.vice.com/en/article/3ab3yk/daily-wire-amber-heard-johnny-depp |archive-date=July 4, 2022 |access-date=May 30, 2022 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref>

In July 2022, Twitter analytics service ], which was hired and paid by Heard's team, published a report saying that Twitter trolls had engaged in "rampant abuse and widespread targeted harassment" of women who voiced support for Heard.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2022-07-18 |title=Amber Heard Supporters Target of 'Widespread Harassment' on Twitter, According to Firm Once Hired by Heard's Lawyers |url=https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/amber-heard-targeted-harassment-twitter-widespread-harassment-report-1235319095/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=] |language=en-US |archive-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421151152/https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/amber-heard-targeted-harassment-twitter-widespread-harassment-report-1235319095/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2022, more than 130 people and groups associated with women's rights and domestic-violence prevention—including ], the ], the ], and ]—signed an open letter supporting Heard.<ref name="NBC Letter">{{cite news |last1=Tenbarge |first1=Kat |last2=Rosenblatt |first2=Kalhan |date=November 16, 2022 |title=National feminist organizations break their silence on Amber Heard in an open letter of support |work=] |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/national-feminist-organizations-break-silence-amber-heard-open-letter-rcna56629 |url-status=live |access-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331163013/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/national-feminist-organizations-break-silence-amber-heard-open-letter-rcna56629 |archive-date=March 31, 2023}}</ref> The letter noted that the vilification and "online harassment" of Heard and her supporters were "unprecedented in both vitriol and scale," and attributed it to "disinformation, misogyny, ], and a monetized social media environment where a woman's allegations of domestic violence and ] were mocked for entertainment."<ref name="NBC Letter"/> Psychology professor ], who coined the term ] (deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender), stated, "What we have witnessed in the US over this case has been an overwhelming case for Depp on social media. It is like an anti-Heard campaign and there has been a lot of Darvo."<ref name=":822" />

The intense coverage of the trial and the fact that it was live-streamed made it an unusual case.<ref name=":23">{{Cite news |first=Anya|last=Zoledziowski|title=Did Social Media Sway the Johnny Depp Jury? |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjkd4q/johnny-depp-heard-trial-jury-social-media |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719164519/https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjkd4q/johnny-depp-heard-trial-jury-social-media |archive-date=July 19, 2022 |access-date=July 19, 2022 |work=]|language=en}}</ref> Legal commentators and Heard's attorneys suggested that, because the jury was not ], the social-media coverage of the trial may have had an influence on the final verdict.<ref name=":23" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite web|first=Scott|last=Stump|date=June 3, 2022|title=How social media could influence other cases after Depp, Heard trial |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/popculture/social-media-could-influence-other-cases-after-depp-heard-trial-rcna31804 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719164519/https://www.today.com/popculture/popculture/social-media-could-influence-other-cases-after-depp-heard-trial-rcna31804 |archive-date=July 19, 2022 |access-date=July 19, 2022 |website=]|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last1=Blair |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Archie |first2=Ayana |date=June 15, 2022 |title=Amber Heard says social media was a factor for her defamation trial jury |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/15/1104925752/amber-heard-says-social-media-was-a-factor-for-her-defamation-trial-jury |url-status=live |access-date=July 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719164249/https://www.npr.org/2022/06/15/1104925752/amber-heard-says-social-media-was-a-factor-for-her-defamation-trial-jury |archive-date=July 19, 2022}}</ref> During the trial, the judge asked the jurors to refrain from reading about the case online, even instructing them to turn off their cell phones for its duration. ], a lawyer and media professor, raised the question of how many of the jury members would listen to the judge's instructions to avoid accessing online coverage.<ref name="cbc-verdict-12">{{Cite news |last=Benchetrit |first=Jenna |date=May 28, 2022 |title=How memes about the Depp-Heard trial can have real-life consequences |work=] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/depp-heard-memeification-1.6469420 |url-status=live |access-date=June 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605030022/https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/depp-heard-memeification-1.6469420 |archive-date=June 5, 2022 |quote=The problem with that, of course, is how many jurors do what they're told?}}</ref> Law professor ] said, "t's crazy to think they are not going to be influenced by what's happening on social media," further noting that she encountered out-of-context, distorted depictions of the trial despite trying to avoid reading about the case.<ref name="abc-verdict-122">{{Cite web |last1=Dale |first1=Maryclaire |last2=Noveck |first2=Jocelyn |date=June 3, 2022 |title=Depp-Heard trial: Advocates fear chilling effect on accusers |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/depp-heard-trial-advocates-fear-chilling-effect-accusers-85166426 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603221107/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/depp-heard-trial-advocates-fear-chilling-effect-accusers-85166426 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref> Carl Tobias, a ] professor, said "I don't envy the judge—or the jurors—because it's hard to protect them from influences," noting that such outside influences inhibit the justice system's ability to "give people a fair day in court."<ref name=":23" /> Following the trial, a juror denied that the jury had been influenced by social media, saying, "We followed the evidence. We didn't take into account anything outside They were very serious accusations and a lot of money involved. So we weren't taking it lightly."<ref name="deadlinejuror">{{Cite news |last=Tapp |first=Tom |date=June 16, 2022 |title=Depp-Heard Juror Speaks Out For First Time, Details Why The 'Aquaman' Actress 'Didn't Come Across As Believable' |work=] |url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/depp-heard-juror-amber-testimony-not-believable-1235046961/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616185238/https://deadline.com/2022/06/depp-heard-juror-amber-testimony-not-believable-1235046961/ |archive-date=June 16, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mack |first1=David |title=A Juror Said They Didn't Believe Amber Heard's 'Crocodile Tears' And That She Made Them Uncomfortable |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/amber-heard-johnny-depp-juror |access-date=July 21, 2022 |work=] |date=June 17, 2022 |archive-date=July 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705222024/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/amber-heard-johnny-depp-juror |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Comments by juror===

Following the trial, a juror was interviewed by '']''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Guarino |first1=Mark |last2=Lantz |first2=Doug |title=Juror in Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial speaks out |url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/juror-johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-speaks-85432281 |access-date=July 21, 2022 |work=] |date=June 16, 2022 |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715211856/https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/juror-johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-speaks-85432281 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dellatto |first1=Marisa |title=Johnny Depp Juror Speaks Out: Amber Heard 'Didn't Come Across As Believable' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/06/16/johnny-depp-juror-speaks-out-amber-heard-didnt-come-across-as-believable/ |access-date=July 21, 2022 |work=] |date=June 16, 2022 |archive-date=September 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906071359/https://gum.criteo.com/syncframe?origin=publishertag&topUrl=www.forbes.com |url-status=live }}</ref> The juror stated that he found that Depp and Heard "were both abusive to each other" but that Heard's team failed to prove that Depp's abuse was physical. "They had their husband-wife arguments. They were both yelling at each other, I don't think that makes either of them right or wrong But to rise to the level of what she was claiming, there wasn't enough or any evidence that really supported what she was saying".<ref name=deadlinejuror/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Vakil |first1=Caroline |title=Juror in Johnny Depp trial says others didn't believe 'ice cold' Amber Heard |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/3526256-juror-in-johnny-depp-trial-says-others-didnt-believe-ice-cold-amber-heard/ |access-date=July 21, 2022 |work=] |date=June 16, 2022 |archive-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721101612/https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/3526256-juror-in-johnny-depp-trial-says-others-didnt-believe-ice-cold-amber-heard/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=D'Zurilla |first1=Christie |title=Amber Heard is talking about Johnny Depp's win. Is she asking for more legal trouble? |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-06-17/amber-heard-johnny-depp-nbc-interview-defamation |access-date=July 21, 2022 |work=] |date=June 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721102105/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-06-17/amber-heard-johnny-depp-nbc-interview-defamation |archive-date=July 21, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> The juror opined that Heard's testimony was not "believable" because it "seemed like she was able to flip the switch on her emotions", while Depp "seemed a little more real in terms of how he responded to questions". Heard, the juror said, was considered the aggressor in the relationship by the majority of the jury, stating "If you have a battered wife or spouse situation, why would you buy the other person, the 'aggressor,' a knife?"<ref name=EWjuror>{{Cite magazine |last=Bucksbaum |first=Sydney |date=June 17, 2022 |title=Juror in Johnny Depp trial breaks silence, says jury didn't buy Amber Heard's 'crocodile tears' |magazine=] |url=https://ew.com/celebrity/johnny-depp-trial-juror-amber-heard-crocodile-tears/ |access-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621002442/https://ew.com/celebrity/johnny-depp-trial-juror-amber-heard-crocodile-tears/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===''The Washington Post''===
On June 2, 2022, ''The Washington Post'' affixed an editor's note to Heard's 2018 op-ed to notify readers of the defamation suit and its outcome, reading, "On June 1, 2022, a jury found Heard liable on ] counts. The jury separately found that Depp, through his lawyer Adam Waldman, defamed Heard in ] of three counts in her countersuit."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flood |first=Brian |date=June 2, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp verdict: Washington Post adds lengthy editor's note to Amber Heard op-ed that was ruled defamatory |work=] |url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/johnny-depp-verdict-washington-post-amber-heard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616205326/https://www.foxnews.com/media/johnny-depp-verdict-washington-post-amber-heard |archive-date=June 16, 2022 |quote=''''Editor's note, June 2, 2022''': In 2019, Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for defamation arising out of this 2018 op-ed. On June 1, 2022, following a trial in Fairfax County, Va. Circuit Court, a jury found Heard liable on three counts for the following statements, which Depp claimed were false and defamatory: (1) "I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change." (2) "Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out." (3) "I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse." The jury separately found that Depp, through his lawyer Adam Waldman, defamed Heard in one of three counts in her countersuit,' the Washington Post wrote.}}</ref>

=== Commentary on verdict ===
Various columnists and legal experts reacted strongly to the verdict. Defamation suits by public figures are rarely successful in the United States, relevant case law being '']'' and the subsequent '']''.<ref name="vanity-fair-case-law">{{Cite magazine |last=Bryant |first=Kenzie |date=April 11, 2022 |title=The Johnny Depp–Amber Heard Defamation Trial: The Makings of a 'Remarkable' Moment in American Celebrity |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/04/johnny-depp-amber-heard-us-virginia-defamation-trial |access-date=June 4, 2022 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US |archive-date=May 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503011458/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/04/johnny-depp-amber-heard-us-virginia-defamation-trial |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Snodgrass |first1=Erin |last2=Vlamis |first2=Kelsey |last3=Shamsian |first3=Jacob |date=June 2, 2022 |title=Amber Heard said she lost the right to 'speak freely' but experts say the Johnny Depp case was 'not a free speech issue but a credibility issue' |url=https://news.yahoo.com/amber-heard-said-she-lost-013144257.html |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=] |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604043109/https://news.yahoo.com/amber-heard-said-she-lost-013144257.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="slate-verdict-1">{{Cite web |last1=Lidsky |first1=Lyrissa |last2=Jones |first2=Ronnell Anderson |date=June 2, 2022 |title=The Real Lesson of the Disastrous Outcome in the Depp-Heard Trial |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/06/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-scotus.html |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=Slate Magazine |language=en |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603233349/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/06/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-scotus.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="reason-verdict-1">{{Cite web |last=Volokh |first=Eugene |title=Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Libel, and Chilling Effects |url=https://reason.com/volokh/2022/06/01/libel-and-chilling-effects/ |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=Reason.com |date=June 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602105340/https://reason.com/volokh/2022/06/01/libel-and-chilling-effects/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''New York Times'' reporter ] said that, in publishing allegations of abuse, "both&nbsp;... women and the press assume the considerable risk that comes with antagonizing the rich, powerful and litigious".<ref name="nyt-risk">{{cite news |last1=Peters |first1=Jeremy W. |title=Depp Trial Exposes Risks to Media in Airing #MeToo Accusations |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/03/business/media/depp-heard-journalism-metoo.html |access-date=June 14, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=June 3, 2022 |archive-date=June 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613233729/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/03/business/media/depp-heard-journalism-metoo.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Dan Novack of '']'' argued that the verdict concluded a "fair trial" and was not a markedly different interpretation of the First Amendment, which he says remains "enormously protective of media reporting on credible accusations of sexual abuse. It is telling that Depp did not name the ACLU, which helped draft the op-ed at the center of the case, or ''The Washington Post'' (which published it)."<ref name="atlantic-1st-amendment">{{Cite web |last=Novack |first=Dan |date=June 2, 2022 |title=The First Amendment Is Stronger Than Johnny Depp |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/johnny-depp-amber-heard-verdict-first-amendment/661174/ |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=The Atlantic |language=en |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604040614/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/johnny-depp-amber-heard-verdict-first-amendment/661174/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

] Professor Carl Tobias said he was surprised by the verdict, and said it was "unusual" that both Depp and Heard won at least one count each.<ref name=":23"/> ], an attorney in several high-profile sexual abuse cases, described the verdicts as "inconsistent", asking, "How can it be that Amber Heard was defamed when Johnny Depp's lawyer said that her allegations were a hoax, and yet Johnny Depp was also defamed when she said she was representative of domestic violence?"<ref>{{cite news|work=]|title=Attorney Lisa Bloom says Amber Heard should appeal 'inconsistent' Johnny Depp verdict|first=Clémence|last=Michallon|date=June 2, 2022|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amber-heard-johnny-depp-verdict-appeal-b2092989.html|access-date=April 21, 2023|archive-date=April 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421154212/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amber-heard-johnny-depp-verdict-appeal-b2092989.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":23"/> '']'' asked Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, and Valentina Shaknes, a founding ] of matrimonial law firm Krauss Shaknes Tallentire & Messeri, to explain "why was it defamatory for Depp's lawyers to accuse of a hoax" when "the jury didn't find her abuse claims credible": Rahmani suggested that the jury decided that Waldman "lied when he said that Heard and her friends set Depp up and perpetuated a hoax when they called the LAPD to the apartment", likely because "the evidence revealed that Heard didn't call LAPD" and Heard "didn't even cooperate with LAPD when they showed up".<ref name=Wang/> Shaknes, who had previously expressed surprise at the verdicts (saying, "It sort of took me a minute to figure out how they both could be awarded damages; how they both could be right"), said, "The best way to translate it is that I think the jury wanted to give Amber something."<ref name=Wang>{{cite magazine |last1=Miller |first1=Mike |last2=Wang |first2=Jessica |title=Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard: Legal experts break down the verdict, appeal chances, and what's next |url=https://ew.com/celebrity/johnny-depp-v-amber-heard-legal-experts-explain-verdict/ |access-date=April 21, 2023 |magazine=] |date=June 3, 2022}}</ref>

Several commentators and feminist organizations expressed concern that the suit set a precedent that would dissuade survivors of abuse from speaking out in light of the threat of defamation litigation.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite magazine |last=Bedera |first=Nicole |date=June 2, 2022 |title=Depp v. Heard Reminds Us That the System Is Stacked Against Survivors |url=https://time.com/6183484/johnny-depp-amber-heard-survivors-metoo/ |access-date=June 4, 2022 |magazine=Time |language=en |ref=none |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604004444/https://time.com/6183484/johnny-depp-amber-heard-survivors-metoo/ |url-status=live }}|{{Cite web |last=Grady |first=Constance |date=June 2, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp's legal victory makes it clear the Me Too backlash has arrived |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/23150632/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-verdict-me-too-backlash |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=Vox |language=en |ref=none |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604032602/https://www.vox.com/culture/23150632/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-verdict-me-too-backlash |url-status=live }}|{{Cite web |last=Drayton |first=Tiffanie |date=June 2, 2022 |title=The horrifying domestic abuse precedent set by Johnny Depp's defamation win |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/johnny-depps-amber-heard-trial-verdict-will-devastating-chilling-effec-rcna31681 |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=NBC News |language=en |ref=none |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604040614/https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/johnny-depps-amber-heard-trial-verdict-will-devastating-chilling-effec-rcna31681 |url-status=live }}|{{cite magazine |last1=Winter |first1=Jessica |date=June 2, 2022 |title=The Johnny Depp–Amber Heard Verdict Is Chilling |magazine=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-depp-heard-verdict-is-chilling |ref=none |access-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603204839/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-depp-heard-verdict-is-chilling |url-status=live }}|{{Cite news |last=Edwards |first=Katie |date=May 27, 2022 |title=What have we learnt from #MeToo? Johnny Depp v Amber Heard holds the answer |language=en-UK |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/amber-heard-johnny-depp-domestic-violence-metoo-b2088748.html |access-date=June 4, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602141226/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/amber-heard-johnny-depp-domestic-violence-metoo-b2088748.html }}}}</ref><ref name="Openletter">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/11/18/amber-heard-open-letter-support/|title=Open letter condemns harassment of Amber Heard during Johnny Depp trial|author=Paúl, María Luisa|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 18, 2022|access-date=April 23, 2022|archive-date=November 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118174934/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/11/18/amber-heard-open-letter-support/|url-status=live}}</ref> An open letter signed by more than 130 women's-rights and domestic-violence-centered organizations and activists denounced the "rising misuse" of defamation lawsuits to silence people who report domestic and sexual abuse and stated that the verdict and the online response "indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner and sexual violence and how survivors respond to it."<ref name="Openletter"/> Similarly, Kathy Spillar, the executive director of the ], said her organization observed a "growing backlash" against women who speak out against abusers, adding, "If this can happen to Amber Heard, it will discourage other women from speaking up and even filing reports about domestic violence and sexual assault."<ref name="Openletter"/> Conversely, ]'s ] argued that, rather than chill speech, Depp's victory represented a "big victory in the battle against ]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/piers-morgan/big-victory-in-the-battle-against-cancel-culture-with-depp-court-win/video/ce2d9ca97a1687d4d025d964b0a01a9f|work=]|title='Big victory in the battle against cancel culture' with Depp court win|date=June 2, 2022|access-date=April 1, 2023|archive-date=April 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401211918/https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/piers-morgan/big-victory-in-the-battle-against-cancel-culture-with-depp-court-win/video/ce2d9ca97a1687d4d025d964b0a01a9f|url-status=live}}</ref>

Founder of ] ] expressed her support to Johnny Depp, describing him as a survivor of domestic violence: “Johnny Depp is a hero. He is a precedent setter who has done the world a great favour. From now on, every judge and jury considering allegations of abuse will know of this case. They will know that an accused man has proven his innocence, and that men are abused too. Most importantly, they will know that a violent woman was the abuser, and that women can be violent—this realisation is the trial’s legacy."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Johnny Told the World, Johnny Changed the World {{!}} Lotus Eaters |url=https://www.lotuseaters.com/johnny-told-the-world-johnny-changed-the-world-18-06-22 |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=www.lotuseaters.com |language=en}}</ref>


Some commentators were skeptical of the trial's long-term effect, arguing that the trial's context was too unique to be indicative of #MeToo's reversal. Mitra Ahouraian, a media attorney, said "I'm hoping that people recognize this as distinct from a lot of the #MeToo situations that we've seen, for example, like the Harvey Weinsteins of the world, This is not that. This is two people who were in a toxic relationship that were awful to one another and a jury decided that one of them was manipulating the situation."<ref name="the-guardian-verdict-1">{{Cite web |last=Bekiempis |first=Victoria |date=June 3, 2022 |title=What does the Heard-Depp verdict mean for the #MeToo movement? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/03/metoo-amber-heard-johnny-depp |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604040614/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/03/metoo-amber-heard-johnny-depp |url-status=live }}</ref> Leading sexual assault lawyer ] described the trial as having unique celebrity, "dysfunction", and "craziness" but judged that the ''Depp v. Heard'' verdict was less "consequential" to #MeToo compared to ] losing his appeal for his rape conviction the next day.<ref name="abc-verdict-122"/> ], generally considered the founder of #MeToo, tweeted that "The 'me too' movement isn't dead, this system is dead. When you get the verdict you want, 'the movement works' – when you don't, it's dead. This movement is very much alive."<ref name="the-guardian-verdict-1" />
On 2 November 2020, ] found that the assaults were proven to the civil standard in 12 of the 14 incidents reported by NGN,<ref name=guardian-20201102b>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/02/johnny-depp-trial-how-the-judge-ruled-on-14-alleged-assaults|title=Johnny Depp trial: how the judge ruled on 14 alleged assaults|last1=Davies|first1=Caroline|last2=Bowcott|first2=Owen|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2 November 2020 |access-date=3 November 2020 |archive-date=21 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205551/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/02/johnny-depp-trial-how-the-judge-ruled-on-14-alleged-assaults |url-status=live}}</ref> and this with the overarching considerations was sufficient to show that ''The Sun''{{'s}} article was substantially accurate on the balance of probabilities.<ref name=guardian-20201102>{{cite news|title=Johnny Depp loses libel case against Sun over claims he beat ex-wife Amber Heard|work=The Guardian|last1=Bowcott|first1=Owen|last2=Davies|first2=Caroline|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/02/johnny-depp-loses-libel-case-against-sun-over-claims-he-beat-ex-wife-amber-heard|date=2 November 2020|access-date=2 November 2020|archive-date=21 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205528/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/02/johnny-depp-loses-libel-case-against-sun-over-claims-he-beat-ex-wife-amber-heard|url-status=live}}</ref> The verdict found that while Depp had been successful in proving that the articles had been damaging to his reputation, his claim of libel had failed as the articles had been "substantially true".<ref name=Conclusion>]</ref><ref name=reuters_nov>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN27I143|title=Factbox: Johnny Depp loses 'wife-beater' libel case: key parts of the judgment|work=]|date=2 November 2020|access-date=25 March 2021|archive-date=5 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505190736/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN27I143|url-status=live}}</ref> The court found no evidence to support Depp's claim of a hoax,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-55079825|title=Johnny Depp libel case appeal bid turned down|publisher=BBC|date=25 November 2020|access-date=24 March 2021|archive-date=3 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203051347/https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-55079825|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=reuters_nov/> stating that "if Ms Heard had been constructing a hoax there are various measures which she might have taken, but which she did not".<ref name=Conclusion/> The court accepted Heard's claim that her career and activism had been seriously damaged by going public about the abuse.<ref name=reuters_nov/><ref name=Conclusion/><ref name=nytimes_verdict /> The 129-page verdict examined all 14 alleged incidents, both alone and in context of the entirety of the evidence presented.<ref name=guardian-20201102/><ref name=appeal/> Four days after the verdict, Depp stepped down from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the ''Fantastic Beasts'' film series at the request of ], its production company.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Reichert|first=Corinne|title=Johnny Depp leaves Fantastic Beasts films on Warner Bros' request|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/johnny-depp-leaves-fantastic-beasts-films-on-warner-bros-request/|access-date=6 November 2020|publisher=CNET|language=en|archive-date=5 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505190748/https://www.cnet.com/news/johnny-depp-leaves-fantastic-beasts-films-on-warner-bros-request/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Staff and agencies|date=26 November 2020|title=Mads Mikkelsen confirmed as Johnny Depp's replacement in Fantastic Beasts 3|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/26/mads-mikkelsen-confirmed-johnny-depp-replacement-fantastic-beasts-3|work=The Guardian|access-date=6 December 2020|archive-date=5 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505190729/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/26/mads-mikkelsen-confirmed-johnny-depp-replacement-fantastic-beasts-3|url-status=live}}</ref> Depp appealed the verdict but the Court of Appeal rejected his application in March 2021.<ref name=march21>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/25/johnny-depp-loses-bid-to-overturn-ruling-in-libel-case|work=The Guardian|title=Johnny Depp loses bid to overturn ruling in libel case|first=Sarah|last=Marsh|date=25 March 2021|access-date=25 March 2021|archive-date=25 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325102805/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/25/johnny-depp-loses-bid-to-overturn-ruling-in-libel-case|url-status=live}}</ref>


Alexandra Lysova, Associate Professor of Criminology at ], argued that the verdict was, in fact, an expansion of #MeToo to ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lysova |first=Alexandra |date=June 8, 2022 |title=Depp v. Heard verdict is a turning point in discussion of intimate partner violence |url=http://theconversation.com/depp-v-heard-verdict-is-a-turning-point-in-discussion-of-intimate-partner-violence-184424 |access-date=June 18, 2022 |website=The Conversation |language=en |quote=I consider this case to be a crucial turning point in the public discussion of intimate partner violence because it has shed light on hidden forms of intimate partner violence and men who are victims of it |ref=none |archive-date=June 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615191453/https://theconversation.com/depp-v-heard-verdict-is-a-turning-point-in-discussion-of-intimate-partner-violence-184424 |url-status=live}}</ref> Conversely, ] pointed out that, though Depp "accused Heard of doing terrible things to him in the course of their relationship and breakup, the lawsuit wasn't about those things. It was about words published under her name, none of which were 'Johnny Depp.{{' "}}<ref name="A.O."/> And, writing for '']'', Constance Grady said, "Depp's victory is not an expansion of the gains of Me Too. It is a cynical appropriation of the rhetoric of Me Too, applied now to its end."<ref>{{cite news |last=Grady|first=Constance|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/23150632/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-verdict-me-too-backlash|title=The Me Too backlash is here|website=]|date=June 2, 2022|access-date=June 4, 2022|archive-date=June 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604032602/https://www.vox.com/culture/23150632/johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial-verdict-me-too-backlash|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Depp’s defamation suit against Heard==


Jack Houghton, digital editor of ], deemed Vasquez's cross-examination to have showed the public Heard's lack of credibility while further considered the ruling of Waldman having defamed Heard to be "hardly a verdict that a cabal of sexist jurors would render".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Houghton |first1=Jack |title=Media 'loses reader trust' by painting the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial as 'misogynistic' |url=https://www.skynews.com.au/business/media/media-loses-reader-trust-by-painting-the-johnny-depp-and-amber-heard-trial-as-misogynistic/news-story/25d028a213baea924e32d74280483584 |access-date=June 9, 2022 |work=] |date=June 3, 2022 |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609061627/https://www.skynews.com.au/business/media/media-loses-reader-trust-by-painting-the-johnny-depp-and-amber-heard-trial-as-misogynistic/news-story/25d028a213baea924e32d74280483584 |url-status=live }}</ref> ], a criminal defense attorney and retired judge, and Limor Mojdehiazad, a family law attorney, agreed that the manner of Heard's testimony may have influenced the jury's verdict against her, and also agreed that Depp's legal team was stronger than Heard's.<ref name=Kalhan>{{cite news |last1=Rosenblatt |first1=Kalhan |title=Amber Heard was 'not credible' as a witness to the jury, some legal experts say |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/amber-heard-was-not-credible-witness-jury-legal-experts-say-rcna31564 |access-date=April 21, 2023 |work=] |date=June 3, 2022 |archive-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421151402/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/amber-heard-was-not-credible-witness-jury-legal-experts-say-rcna31564 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dhanidina opined that Depp's legal team brought forth more convincing witnesses and evidence, while Heard's testimony had inconsistencies, some of which were caused by her lawyers, who wrongly suggested that Heard used a specific makeup kit which had not yet been developed at the time of the alleged events.<ref name=Kalhan/>
In February 2019, Depp sued Heard over an op-ed she wrote about her experience of being a public victim of domestic violence, which was published by '']'' in December 2018. <ref>{{cite web|last1=Griffith|first1=Janelle|title=Johnny Depp sues ex-wife Amber Heard for $50&nbsp;million for allegedly defaming him|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/johnny-depp-sues-ex-wife-amber-heard-50-million-allegedly-n978976|date=March 4, 2019|website=]|location=New York City|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-date=March 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205616/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/johnny-depp-sues-ex-wife-amber-heard-50-million-allegedly-n978976|url-status=live|quote=Heard did not name Depp in the op-ed that focused on the risks to women in speaking up about domestic abuse and sexual violence. She writes that she was exposed to abuse when she was 'very young' and was 'harassed and sexually assaulted by the time' she was of college age. But the lawsuit filed Friday in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, Virginia, alleges that although the piece did not name Depp, it was implicitly about him.}}</ref><ref name="varietymarch2019">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-washington-post-op-ed-50-million-1203153857/amp/|title=Johnny Depp Reportedly Sues Amber Heard for $50M Over Washington Post Op-Ed|last=Nyren|first=Erin|date=March 2, 2019|website=]|location=Los Angeles, California|access-date=March 3, 2019|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505190114/https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-washington-post-op-ed-50-million-1203153857/amp/|url-status=live|quote='The op-ed depended on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her,' Depp’s lawyers allege. ... 'This frivolous action is just the latest of Johnny Depp’s repeated efforts to silence Amber Heard,' said Heard’s attorney.}}</ref><ref name="WaPo2018" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Griffith|first1=Janelle|title=Johnny Depp sues ex-wife Amber Heard for $50&nbsp;million for allegedly defaming him|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/johnny-depp-sues-ex-wife-amber-heard-50-million-allegedly-n978976|date=March 4, 2019|publisher=]|location=New York City|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-date=March 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321205616/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/johnny-depp-sues-ex-wife-amber-heard-50-million-allegedly-n978976|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="varietymarch2019">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-washington-post-op-ed-50-million-1203153857/amp/|title=Johnny Depp Reportedly Sues Amber Heard for $50M Over Washington Post Op-Ed|last=Nyren|first=Erin|date=March 2, 2019|website=]|location=Los Angeles, California|access-date=March 3, 2019|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505190114/https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-washington-post-op-ed-50-million-1203153857/amp/|url-status=live}}</ref> Depp also again alleged that Heard had been the abuser, and that her allegations constituted a hoax against him.<ref name="varietymarch2019" /> In August 2020, Heard countersued Depp, alleging that he had coordinated "a harassment campaign via Twitter and orchestrating online petitions in an effort to get her fired from ''Aquaman'' and L'Oréal".<ref>{{cite web|first=Ashley|last=Cullins|title=Johnny Depp Seeks Defamation Trial Delay Because of 'Fantastic Beasts 3' Filming|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/johnny-depp-seeks-defamation-trial-delay-because-of-fantastic-beasts-3-filming|website=] |access-date=November 8, 2020|date=August 31, 2020 |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101221757/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/johnny-depp-seeks-defamation-trial-delay-because-of-fantastic-beasts-3-filming |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Johnny Depp seeks delay to US defamation trial due to Fantastic Beasts 3 filming|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53983386|publisher=] |access-date=November 8, 2020|date=September 1, 2020 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108080603/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53983386 |url-status=live}}</ref>


==Media coverage==
===Pre-trial developments===
=== Film adaptation ===
In October 2020, the judge in the case dismissed Depp's lawyer Adam Waldman after he leaked confidential information covered by a protective order to the media.<ref name=hr2020/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hennessy |first1=Joan|title=Lawyer for Johnny Depp Kicked Off Case After Press Leaks|url=https://www.courthousenews.com/lawyer-for-johnny-depp-kicked-off-case-after-press-leaks/ |access-date=October 23, 2020 |work=Court House News |date=December 28, 2021}}</ref> Following the verdict in Depp's lawsuit against ''The Sun'' the following month, Heard's lawyers filed to have the defamation suit dismissed, but judge Penny Azcarate ruled against it because Heard had been a witness, not a defendant in the UK case.<ref name="Virginia Judge Allows Case 1">{{cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Eriq |title=Johnny Depp Allowed Libel Suit Against Amber Heard Despite U.K. Ruling |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/johnny-depp-allowed-libel-suit-against-amber-heard-despite-u-k-ruling-1234998895/ |access-date=August 18, 2021 |work=] |date=August 18, 2021}}</ref> In August 2021, a New York judge ruled that the ACLU must disclose documents related to Heard's charity pledge to the organization.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/07/30/johnny-depp-granted-request-aclu-confirm-amber-heard-donation/5438287001/|title = Judge sides with Johnny Depp: ACLU must reveal if Amber Heard donated $7M divorce settlement|newspaper = USA Today}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/johnny-depp-gets-permission-for-the-records-hes-looking-for|title = Johnny Depp Gets Permission to Have the Records He's Looking for|website = ]|date = August 5, 2021}}</ref>
A film adaptation of the trial, ''Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial'', premiered on September 30, 2022, on ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=September 15, 2022 |title=Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Defamation Trial Movie to Stream on Fox's Tubi |url=https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-movie-tubi-1235373906/ |access-date=September 16, 2022 |website=Variety |archive-date=September 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915183038/https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-movie-tubi-1235373906/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Trial== === Books ===
Journalist ]'s book, ''Depp v Heard: The Unreal Story'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wallis |first=Nick |author-link=Nick Wallis |title=Depp v Heard: The Unreal Story |publisher=Bath Publishing |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-8384390-8-8 |location=UK}}</ref> about the trials in both the UK and the US and his experiences reporting from court was published in May 2023.


=== TV ===
The trial began in ] on April 11, 2022, with jury selection.<ref name=Wolfe>{{cite news |last1=Wolfe |first1=Jan |title=Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard face off again in U.S. libel trial |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/actors-johnny-depp-amber-heard-face-off-again-us-libel-trial-2022-04-11/ |access-date=April 15, 2022 |work=] |date=April 12, 2022|archive-url=https://archive.is/vwd5Y|archive-date=April 11, 2022}}</ref>
] aired ''Reputation: Depp v Heard'' in June 2022. In the same month, ] broadcast ''Depp vs Heard: Winners and Losers''. ] released the documentary ''Johnny vs Amber: The US Trial'' in September 2022, which was added to ] on May 23, 2023. Another documentary was released by the French national television broadcaster ] in February 2023.<ref name="doc_france_tv">{{Cite episode |title=Affaire Johnny Depp/Amber Heard - La justice à l'épreuve des réseaux sociaux |url=https://www.france.tv/france-5/la-fabrique-du-mensonge/5189277-affaire-johnny-depp-amber-heard-la-justice-a-l-epreuve-des-reseaux-sociaux.html#section-about |access-date=September 5, 2024 |series=La fabrique du mensonge |first=
Cécile |last=Delarue |network=] |date=February 12, 2023 |season=3 |number=5 |language=French}}</ref> The documentary, titled "Affaire Johnny Depp/Amber Heard", was released as the fifth episode of the third season of the ''La Fabrique du Mensonge'' docuseries broadcast by the network.<ref name="doc_france_tv" /><ref name="doc_la_presse">{{cite news |last1=Guy |first1=Chantal |date=February 21, 2023 |title=Comment les masculinistes ont détourné le procès Depp-Heard |trans-title=How masculinists hijacked the Depp-Heard trial |url=https://www.lapresse.ca/arts/chroniques/2023-02-21/comment-les-masculinistes-ont-detourne-le-proces-depp-heard.php |url-status=live |language=French |work=] |location=], ], ] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430072859/https://www.lapresse.ca/arts/chroniques/2023-02-21/comment-les-masculinistes-ont-detourne-le-proces-depp-heard.php |archive-date=April 30, 2023 |access-date=September 5, 2024}}</ref> ] aired the three-part docuseries '']''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.channel4.com/programmes/depp-v-heard | title=Watch Depp V Heard &#124; Stream free on Channel 4 }}</ref> in May 2023 based on transcripts of the US defamation trial. ] released the docuseries outside the UK on August 16, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Kasey |date=2023-07-20 |title=Netflix Acquires 'Depp V Heard' Documentary Series: Releasing in August 2023 |url=https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/netflix-acquires-depp-v-heard-documentary-series-for-release-in-august-2023/ |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=What's on Netflix |language=en}}</ref> A three part series titled ''Surviving Amber Heard'' was released on ] in 2023.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}


===Testimony=== === Podcast ===
A podcast series titled ''Who Trolled Amber?'' was released in 2024. The podcast says that between 2016 and 2022, over 800,000 tweets were posted containing the hashtag #AmberHeardIsAnAbuser. The podcast alleges a link between Depp and ], the ], and claims Saudi-funded bot networks were used to send tweets, including one instance where more than a hundred Twitter accounts simultaneously sent messages to companies Heard had worked for that said: "This brand supports domestic violence against men." The podcast also claims bot networks in Spain and Thailand engaged in similar activity.<ref name="WTA_Telegraph">{{cite news |last=Singh |first=Anita |date=February 27, 2024 |title=Amber Heard 'trolled by Saudi-backed bots' during Johnny Depp court battles |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/27/amber-heard-trolling-campaign-tortoise-media-johnny-depp/ |url-status=live |work=] |location=], ] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407075052/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/27/amber-heard-trolling-campaign-tortoise-media-johnny-depp/ |archive-date=April 7, 2024 |access-date=April 10, 2024}}</ref><ref name="WTA_GQ">{{cite news |last=Schofield |first=Daisy |date=February 28, 2024 |title=Inside the podcast exposing the Saudi bot army mobilised to take down Amber Heard |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/who-trolled-amber-heard-alexi-mostrous-podcast-interview/ |url-status=live |work=] |location=], ], U.S. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406224230/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/who-trolled-amber-heard-alexi-mostrous-podcast-interview/ |archive-date=April 6, 2024 |access-date=April 10, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Depp_Saudi_VanityFair">{{cite news |last=Hope |first=Bradley |date=February 28, 2024 |title=Inside Johnny Depp's Epic Bromance With Saudi Crown Prince MBS |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/johnny-depp-mbs-saudi-arabia/ |url-status=live |work=] |location=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214131348/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/johnny-depp-mbs-saudi-arabia/ |archive-date=February 14, 2024 |access-date=April 10, 2024}}</ref><ref name="WTA_Independent">{{cite news |last=Hendy |first=Eloise |date=March 10, 2024 |title=Who Trolled Amber?: Inside the podcast exposing the horrors of the Depp/Heard trial |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/amber-heard-trolling-johnny-depp-trial-b2509469.html |url-status=live |work=] |location=], ] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420183713/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/amber-heard-trolling-johnny-depp-trial-b2509469.html |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=September 1, 2024}}</ref><ref name="WTA_FT">{{cite news |last=Sturges |first=Fiona |date=February 26, 2024 |title=Who Trolled Amber? explores Depp vs Heard's social media fallout — podcast review |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e2984adb-41c6-400a-b90e-df6cef7928f6 |url-status=live |work=] |location=], ] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306110611/https://www.ft.com/content/e2984adb-41c6-400a-b90e-df6cef7928f6 |archive-date=March 6, 2024 |access-date=April 10, 2024}}</ref>


== See also ==
Depp and Heard's former couples therapist, Dr Laurel Anderson, who saw them in 2015, testified her opinion that the duo engaged in "mutual abuse". Both Depp and Heard had been previously beaten by a parent, Anderson said. Depp was "well controlled" over decades and was not violent against previous partners, but was "triggered" with Heard, testified Anderson. For Heard, it "was a point of pride to her, if she felt disrespected, to initiate a fight ... If he was going to leave her to de-escalate from the fight, she would strike him to keep him there", said Anderson.<ref>{{cite news |title=Depp and Heard marriage ended in 'mutual abuse', says therapist |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61114768 |access-date=April 15, 2022 |work=] |date=April 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Finley |first1=Ben |title=Therapist: Depp and Heard had relationship of ‘mutual abuse’ |url=https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-amber-heard-johnny-depp-lawsuits-arts-and-fe315bb74c8d89303545e366aabff89f |access-date=April 15, 2022 |work=] |date=April 14, 2022}}</ref>
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==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}


==External links==
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* ] website: for {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526180427/https://ffxtrail.azurewebsites.net/ |date=May 26, 2022 }} and the list of documents made available by the Circuit Court.
* ] playlists (with varying content) via: Law&Crime Network and ]
{{Johnny Depp}} {{Johnny Depp}}


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Latest revision as of 18:29, 23 December 2024

2022 defamation trial of American actors

This article is about the defamation trial. For the documentary based on it, see Depp v. Heard (TV series).
Depp v. Heard
CourtFairfax County Circuit Court
Full case name John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard
StartedApril 11, 2022 (2022-04-11)
DecidedJune 1, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-06-01)
VerdictDepp's complaint:

Heard was found liable in all three matters of defamation raised. Depp was awarded $10 million (of the $50 million claim) in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages (reduced to $350,000 per state limit).

Heard's counterclaims:

Depp was found liable in one of three matters of defamation raised and Heard was awarded $2 million (of the $100 million claim) in compensatory damages and $0 in punitive damages.
Court membership
Judges sittingPenney S. Azcarate
(Bruce D. White ruled on pre-trial motions).

John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard was a trial held in Fairfax County, Virginia, from April 11 to June 1, 2022, that ruled on allegations of defamation between formerly married American actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Depp, as plaintiff, filed a complaint of defamation against defendant Heard claiming $50 million in damages; Heard filed counterclaims against Depp claiming $100 million in damages.

Depp and Heard first met in 2009 and got married in February 2015. Heard filed for divorce in May 2016, claiming that Depp had abused her physically, which he denied. The couple's divorce was finalized in January 2017. In the High Court of Justice in London, Depp sued News Group Newspapers Ltd for libel over an article published in The Sun that claimed he had assaulted Heard. In November 2020, the presiding judge ruled against Depp, stating, "he great majority of alleged assaults of Ms. Heard by Mr. Depp have been proved to the civil standard." Several legal experts suggested that Depp had a smaller chance of winning in the US trial compared to the UK trial. His victory in Virginia was attributed by some to the fact that he got a jury trial, which may be why he and his legal team sought to have the trial in Virginia to begin with.

In the Virginia trial, Depp's claims related to a December 2018 op-ed by Heard, published in The Washington Post. Depp claimed Heard caused new damage to his reputation and career by stating that she had spoken up against "sexual violence" and "faced our culture's wrath"; that "two years ago, became a public figure representing domestic abuse" and "felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out"; and that she "had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse". Heard's counterclaims included allegations that Adam Waldman, Depp's former lawyer, had defamed her in statements published in the Daily Mail in 2020. Throughout the trial, Depp's legal team sought to disprove Heard's domestic abuse allegations and to demonstrate that she had been the instigator, rather than the victim, of intimate partner violence. Heard's lawyers defended the op-ed, claiming it to be factual and protected by the First Amendment.

The jury ruled that Heard's op-ed references to "sexual violence" and "domestic abuse" were false and defamed Depp with actual malice. It awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from Heard, although the court reduced the punitive damages to $350,000 due to a limit imposed by Virginia state law. It also ruled that Depp had defamed Heard through Waldman, who had falsely alleged that Heard and her friends "roughed up" Depp's penthouse as part of an "ambush, a hoax". It awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages and $0 in punitive damages from Depp. Separately, the jury ruled that Waldman's other allegations of Heard's "sexual violence hoax" and "abuse hoax" against Depp had not been proven defamatory.

After the trial ended, Heard put forth motions to set aside the verdict, but was unsuccessful. Then, both Depp and Heard appealed against the respective verdicts. In December 2022, both parties reached a settlement and dropped their appeals, with Depp's lawyers Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez stating that Depp would receive $1 million from Heard.

The livestreamed trial attracted large numbers of viewers and considerable social media response, most of which was sympathetic to Depp and critical of Heard. The trial renewed debates around topics relating to domestic violence, the #MeToo movement, and women's rights, although some commentators were skeptical of the trial's long-term implications.

Background

Depp and Heard's relationship

Johnny Depp (left) and Amber Heard (right)

The two actors met in 2009 while filming The Rum Diary; according to Heard, their relationship began "around the end of 2011 or early 2012". They were engaged in January 2014, and, in February 2015, they married on Depp's private island in The Bahamas, Little Hall's Pond Cay. Heard filed for divorce on May 23, 2016, and obtained a temporary restraining order against Depp. She also requested $50,000 a month in spousal support, which was denied. In response, Depp alleged that she was "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse". Heard testified about the alleged abuse in a deposition during their divorce litigation, alleging that Depp had been "verbally and physically abusive" throughout their relationship, usually while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The divorce received much publicity, with images of Heard's alleged injuries published by the media.

A settlement was reached in August 2016, and the divorce was finalized in January 2017. Heard withdrew the restraining order, and she and Depp released a joint statement stating that their relationship was "intensely passionate and periodically volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm."

Depp paid Heard a divorce settlement of $7 million, which she pledged to donate to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The settlement included a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) preventing either party from discussing their relationship publicly. As of April 2022, Heard had paid less than half of what she promised to the ACLU from her divorce settlement over five years prior. Much of what she had paid to that point was thought by the ACLU to have actually come from Elon Musk and Depp himself instead of Heard.

Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd

Main article: Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd

In April 2018, UK tabloid The Sun published an article with an online title that described Depp as a "wife beater", and, in June 2018, Depp sued News Group Newspapers, the publisher of The Sun, and then executive editor Dan Wootton for libel. Both Depp and Heard testified in the July 2020 trial, which focused on evaluating 14 alleged incidents of abuse. In November 2020, Judge Andrew Nicol ruled in favor of the publisher, finding that the great majority of Depp's alleged assaults had been proven to a civil standard and, therefore, the paper's characterization of Depp was "substantially true". The verdict found that Depp had assaulted Heard in 12 of the 14 alleged incidents and put her in fear of her life. Judge Nicol rejected Depp's contention that Heard was a "gold-digger", saying in his ruling: "Her donation of the seven million US dollars to charity is hardly the act one would expect of a gold-digger." Heard later claimed in the 2022 Virginia trial that she was scheduled to pay the entire pledged donation within 10 years and that she was behind her payment schedule because of Depp's suits against her.

After the verdict, Depp resigned from the Fantastic Beasts film series at the request of Warner Bros., the film's production company. In March 2021, the Court of Appeal rejected Depp's request to appeal the verdict, concluding that the appeal had "no real prospect of success". Lawyers for Depp had argued that he had not received a fair hearing, that Heard was an unreliable witness and that recently discovered evidence contradicts Heard's assertion about her donation of the divorce settlement sum, arguing that the Judge in deciding the case, gave great weight to Heard's testimony that she donated all her $7 million divorce settlement to charity. But the appeals judges concluded he had a "full and fair" trial, and that "the judge based his conclusions on each of the incidents on his extremely detailed review of the evidence specific to each incident in an approach of that kind there was little need or room for the judge to give weight to any general assessment of Ms. Heard's credibility."

Heard's op-ed in The Washington Post

In December 2018, The Washington Post published an op-ed written by Heard and titled "Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence—and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change." In the article, Heard stated: "Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out. I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse." She further stated that, as a result of this, she had lost a film role and an advertising campaign for a global fashion brand. The op-ed called for Congress to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act and did not explicitly mention Depp by name.

Waldman's comments in the Daily Mail

Matters from Heard's counterclaims pursued through the trial related to three statements made by Depp's lawyer, Adam Waldman, and published by the Daily Mail in April and June 2020.

First, Waldman stated that "Amber Heard and her friends in the media used fake sexual violence allegations as both sword and shield, depending on their needs. They have selected some of her sexual violence hoax 'facts' as the sword, inflicting them on the public and Mr. Depp."

Waldman's second statement regarded a 2016 incident in Depp and Heard's Hollywood penthouse: "Quite simply this was an ambush, a hoax. They set Mr. Depp up by calling the cops but the first attempt didn't do the trick. The officers came to the penthouses, thoroughly searched and interviewed, and left after seeing no damage to face or property. So, Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911."

Third, Waldman stated: "We have reached the beginning of the end of Ms. Heard's abuse hoax against Johnny Depp."

Civil action

In February 2019, Depp sued Heard over her December 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post. Depp claimed that Heard's allegations were part of an elaborate hoax against him and repeated his allegation that Heard had been the one who violently abused him. In August 2020, Heard countersued Depp over the three statements made by his attorney Adam Waldman. The trial was held at the Fairfax County Circuit Court. The location was chosen on the basis that the online edition and the print edition of The Washington Post' op-ed are published in the county.

Pre-trial developments

In June 2020, several lawyers withdrew from Heard's legal team with her endorsement, including Time's Up founder, Roberta Kaplan. In October 2020, the judge ruling on early pre-trial motions revoked permission for lawyer Adam Waldman to represent Depp in Virginia after Waldman leaked confidential information covered by a protective order to the media.

In August 2021, a New York judge ruled that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had to disclose documents related to Heard's charity pledge to the organization for which the ACLU would later demand payment. Also in August 2021, Judge Penney S. Azcarate overruled a plea filed by Heard's lawyers for having the defamation suit dismissed on the basis of the verdict in Depp's lawsuit against the publishers of The Sun, with Azcarate citing that: Heard had been a witness in the UK case (as opposed to a defendant), the facts alleged were different (Heard's allegedly defamatory statements were made after the English case commenced), and the parties had not been subject to the same discovery procedures as in the United States.

In February 2022, over objections from Heard, Azcarate ordered to permit the broadcast of courtroom proceedings. Depp's lawyer Benjamin Chew welcomed the cameras and stated that "Mr. Depp believes in transparency." Judge Azcarate, who worried that reporters might otherwise have come to the courthouse and potentially create hazardous conditions, said, "I don't see any good cause not to do it."

Trial

On April 11, 2022, the trial began in Fairfax County, Virginia, with a day to finalize jury selection; the trial ended in June 2022.

Opening statements

Opening statements were made on April 12, 2022. Lawyers representing Depp accused Heard of fabricating domestic abuse accusations against Depp to further her career, saying that Heard made such allegations because Depp had asked for a divorce, and they further accused Heard of being the actual abuser in the relationship. They argued that, while Heard's 2018 op-ed did not mention Depp, it was clear by implication that it referred to him, and that Heard's writing in the piece ("Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse") was a reference to her May 2016 restraining order request, in which she alleged that Depp had physically abused her. Depp's lawyers discussed Heard appearing in public with a bruised face on May 27, 2016, accusing her of staging the injury, citing that Depp had not met her since May 21, 2016, and that his witnesses had seen her without the injury in the days between May 21, 2016, and May 27, 2016. They also discussed several instances in which Depp alleges Heard instigated physical violence against him.

Heard's lawyers claimed that Depp had physically and sexually abused Heard on multiple occasions throughout their relationship, usually triggered by his addiction to both alcohol and drugs. They accused Depp of seeking to "humiliate , haunt her, wreck her career" with the Virginia lawsuit and to turn the case into a "soap opera". They further argued that the First Amendment protected Heard's right to express her views in the op-ed, which was mostly focused on a broad discussion of domestic violence and did not explicitly mention Depp's name. Finally, Heard's lawyers stated that the allegations had not changed Depp's reputation, as they had become public knowledge two years prior to the op-ed, and that Depp had instead ruined his Hollywood career himself with his drinking and drug use; this made him "unreliable" in the eyes of major film studios.

Testimony

Witness lists were submitted by both parties, prior to trial.

Witness testimony began on April 12, following the parties' presentation of their opening statements, and ended on May 26.

List of witnesses called by Depp for trial testimony from April 12, 2022.
Christi Dembrowski, Depp's sister and personal manager.

Isaac Baruch, Depp's neighbor during his marriage to Heard.

Brandon Patterson, the general manager of the Eastern Columbia Building.

Kate James, Heard's former personal assistant.

Laurel Anderson, Depp and Heard's therapist in 2015.

David Kipper, Depp's private physician.

Debbie Lloyd, who worked with Kipper as a nurse.

Sean Bett, Depp's security guard.

Keenan Wyatt, Depp's on-set audio technician since the 1990s.

Johnny Depp, plaintiff and counterclaim defendant.

Ben King, Depp's former house manager.

Tara Roberts, who had been the manager of Depp's island in the Bahamas at the time of the relationship.

Shannon Curry, a forensic psychologist hired by Depp's team.

Testimony of police officers, who had responded to a May 2016 incident between the couple.

Alejandro Romero, who works at the front desk of the Eastern Columbia Building in Downtown Los Angeles.

Christian Carino, who had previously been an agent for both Depp and Heard.

Laura Wasser, a divorce lawyer who represented Depp in 2016.

Terrence Dougherty, chief operating officer of the American Civil Liberties Union testified.

Edward White, Depp's accountant.

Malcolm Connelly, a security guard of Depp's.

Starling Jenkins, another of Depp's security guards.

Travis McGivern, Depp's bodyguard.

Jack Whigham, Depp's agent since October 2016.

Richard Marks, an entertainment lawyer.

Doug Bania, an intellectual property expert.

Erin Falati, Heard's nurse during the relationship.

Michael Spindler, an economic damages expert.

List of witnesses called by Heard for trial testimony from May 3, 2022.
Dawn Hughes, a board-certified forensic psychologist who was hired by Heard's legal team as an expert in traumatic stress, violence, and abuse.

Amber Heard, defendant and counterclaim plaintiff.

iO Tillett Wright, who had been a friend of Heard and who lived in one of Depp's penthouses in the Eastern Columbia Building.

Raquel Pennington, who had been Heard's friend and who lived in one of Depp's penthouses.

Joshua Drew, who was Pennington's fiancé at the time.

Elizabeth Marz, an acquaintance of Heard.

Whitney Henriquez, Heard's younger sister.

Melanie Inglessis, Heard's former make-up artist and friend.

Kristina Sexton, Heard's former acting coach.

Bruce Witkin, Depp's longtime friend.

Tracey Jacobs, a UTA agent who represented Depp from the 1990s until 2016.

Joel Mandel, Depp's former business manager.

Ellen Barkin, who had a brief sexual relationship with Depp and had appeared with him in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998).

Michele Mulroney, Heard's former lawyer.

Tina Newman, a production executive representing Disney.

Adam Waldman, Depp's lawyer.

Jessica Kovacevic, Heard's former agent.

Ron Schnell, an expert witness on social-media data analysis.

Alan Blaustein, Depp's former psychiatrist.

Richard Moore, an orthopedic surgeon called as an expert witness.

David Spiegel, a psychiatrist called as an expert witness.

Kathryn Arnold, an entertainment analyst called as an expert witness.

List of witnesses called by Depp in rebuttal for trial testimony from May 24, 2022.
Walter Hamada, the president of DC Films.

David A. Kulber, the surgeon who reconstructed Depp's finger in March 2015.

Richard Marks, entertainment lawyer and Hollywood expert.

Michael Spindler, an economic damages expert.

Douglas Bania, an intellectual property expert.

Morgan Night, the owner of a trailer park in Joshua Tree where Depp and Heard spent a night in May 2013.

Richard Shaw, a psychiatrist.

Jennifer Howell, the founder of The Art of Elysium and former friend of Heard's sister Whitney Henriquez.

Candie Davidson-Goldbronn, of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).

Kate Moss, model who had a past relationship with Depp.

Shannon Curry, a forensic psychologist hired by Depp's team.

Johnny Depp, plaintiff and counterclaim defendant.

Morgan Tremaine, a former employee of celebrity website TMZ.

Bryan Neumeister, a forensic and metadata specialist.

Beverly Leonard, an employee of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at the time of an alleged incident in 2009.

List of witnesses called by Heard in rebuttal for trial testimony on May 26, 2022.
Julian Ackert, a computer forensic investigator.

Dawn Hughes, a board-certified forensic psychologist.

Amber Heard, defendant and counterclaim plaintiff.

Closing arguments

Following the judge's reading of the trial's jury instructions on May 27, 2022, Depp's and Heard's legal teams presented their closing arguments.

Depp's legal team maintained that Heard was the abuser in their relationship and that Heard's allegations against Depp were untrue and had ruined his life. They asked the jurors to "give him his life back". "You either believe all of it or none of it. Either Mr. Depp assaulted Ms. Heard with a bottle in Australia, or Ms. Heard got up on that stand, in front of all of you, and made up that horrific tale of abuse," lawyer Camille Vasquez told the jury. "An act of profound cruelty not just to Mr. Depp but to true survivors of domestic abuse." Vasquez told the court that Heard "came into this courtroom ready to give the performance of her lifetime and she gave it." Vasquez also argued that Heard "burns bridges" and "her close friends don't show up for her," because, according to Vasquez, apart from Heard's sister, every person who personally testified on behalf of Heard was a "paid expert", whereas many witnesses personally testified for Depp in court.

Heard's legal team maintained that Depp did abuse Heard, and that even if he did not abuse her, the op-ed was not libelous as it did not mention Depp by name nor directly address her allegations against him. They told jurors to "think about the message that Mr. Depp and his attorneys are sending to Amber and victims of domestic abuse." "If you didn't take pictures, it didn't happen," Benjamin Rottenborn, a lawyer for Heard, said. "If you didn't seek medical attention, you weren't injured." He claimed Depp "cannot and will not take responsibility. It's all somebody else's fault." He told jurors that "if Amber was abused by Mr. Depp even one time, then she wins." Rottenborn accused Depp of "victim blaming at its most disgusting".

Verdict

On June 1, 2022, after nearly two days of deliberations, the jury found that Depp had proven all the elements of defamation for all three statements from Heard's 2018 op-ed, including that the statements were false, and that Heard defamed Depp with actual malice. The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from Heard. The punitive damages, however, were reduced to $350,000 due to a limit imposed by Virginia state law.

In regard to Heard's counterclaim, the jury found the second of the three contested statements that Depp's former lawyer Adam Waldman had published in the Daily Mail to be defamatory and false, defaming Heard with actual malice. Regarding the other two contested statements, the jurors concluded that Heard's attorneys had not proven all the elements of defamation. Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages from Depp but no punitive damages.

Post-trial motions

On July 1, 2022, Heard's legal team asked the court to set aside the verdict in favor of Depp in its entirety, dismiss the complaint or order a new trial. Their arguments included that (1) Heard "never edited or played any role with respect to the headline" and "never even became aware of the headline until Mr. Depp filed the lawsuit against her"; (2) that "Depp's award was excessive" and that, though Depp had "represented to the court he would limit his damages to the period Dec. 18, 2018 through Nov. 2, 2020," he "continued to urge the jury to restore his reputation and legacy to his children as a result of Ms. Heard accusing Mr. Depp in May 2016 of domestic violence"; (3) one juror was listed as born in 1945 in a court list, but public information "demonstrates that he appears to have been born in 1970".

On July 13, 2022, Azcarate denied several of Heard's post-trial motions for "reasons stated on the record" but provided further explanation regarding the disputed juror. She stated that the summons issued to the juror "listed his legal name and address and no birth date was noted", that the juror had provided his proper birth date when answering a court questionnaire and that Heard's legal team had neither alleged nor "shown evidence of prejudice" by the juror. She also noted that the parties had "questioned the jury panel for a full day and informed the court that the jury panel was acceptable"; and that "a party cannot wait until receiving an adverse verdict to object, for the first time, to an issue known since the beginning of trial." She concluded that "he only evidence before this court is that this juror and all jurors followed their oaths, the court's instructions and orders. This court is bound by the competent decision of the jury."

Appeals, settlement and carrier lawsuit

Heard appealed the judgment against her in October 2022 while Depp appealed his in November 2022.

Heard and Depp settled the case in December 2022 and dropped their appeals, with Heard stating that even if her appeal had succeeded, she "simply cannot go through" a retrial having "lost faith in the American legal system". She maintained that the settlement was "not an act of concession" and that she had not agreed to any "restrictions or gags" going forward. Depp's lawyers stated that the "jury's unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp's favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place", and that the settlement would result in $1 million being paid to Depp by Heard's insurance, which "Depp is pledging and will donate to charities".

Prior to the publication of the op-ed in 2018, Heard took out homeowner's insurance carrier policies with two companies that covered costs associated with defamation lawsuits. One of these companies, New York Marine and General Insurance Co., filed a lawsuit against Heard following the verdict, claiming that because the jury ruled the defamatory statements were made with "actual malice", they were exempt from providing indemnity to Heard. The company also refused to cover any portion of Heard's legal fees for the trial, which she testified had exceeded $6 million. The company is suing Heard and another insurance provider for a declaratory relief exempting them from any claim tied to the judgement. The case is still pending as of July 2023, in spite of Heard's request that the court dismiss the case.

Reactions

The trial drew much attention from supporters of either Depp or Heard as well as the broader public. At the start of the trial, several legal experts suggested that Depp had a smaller chance of winning than he did in the previous UK trial, citing the strong free speech protections in the US.

Livestream

The trial was live-streamed, with very high viewing figures and video clips being widely shared on social media. The president of the Law & Crime network, Rachel Stockman, observed that the average daily viewership on their app was fifty times higher than before the trial.

The decision by Judge Azcarate to allow livestreaming, a rarity in Virginia courts, has been criticized. Some observers expressed concern that it would discourage victims of domestic violence from speaking out; Michele Dauber, a professor at Stanford Law School, stated, "Allowing this trial to be televised is the single worst decision I can think of in the context of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in recent history, it has ramifications way beyond this case."

Amanda Hess, a critic writing for The New York Times, opined that the broadcasting of the trial "is an invitation for the proceedings to be deliberately, even gleefully tailored to a viewer's whim", with internet platforms like TikTok and YouTube being "practically built to manipulate raw visual materials in the service of a personality cult, harassment campaign or branding opportunity." On the other hand, Kellie Lynch, an associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at The University of Texas at San Antonio, praised the trial for "afford an opportunity to openly discuss the nuances of IPV that are often overlooked".

Social media coverage

Data collected by Newswhip from April 4 to May 16, 2022, indicated that news articles about the trial had generated more social-media interactions per article in the United States than all other significant news topics, including the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion on abortion, Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, the inflation surge, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram users expressed opinions about the case or rallied against others doing the same. Clips of the trial were used to create memes, compilation or reaction videos, with multiple such videos going viral. Those posting about the trial on social media were seen to mostly support Depp and oppose Heard. Videos carrying the hashtag #justiceforjohnnydepp had attained over 18 billion views on TikTok by the trial's conclusion. BuzzFeed News reported that, between April 25 and 29, 2022, there were 1,667 posts uploaded to Facebook using the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp, with over 7 million total interactions, i.e., likes and shares between them. In comparison, Heard only had 16 posts in support, with 10,415 interactions. Additionally, on TikTok, videos tagged with #JusticeForJohnnyDepp had over 5 billion combined views, while videos tagged with #JusticeForAmberHeard had only 21 million combined views as of April 29.

Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic criticized the social media coverage of the trial, stating that "Depp and Heard are real people with real problems, after all, not just meme fodder and hashtag subjects," and that "the vile nature of some of the misogynistic tweets and TikTok videos posted about Heard were toxic masculinity at its worst." Katherine Denkinson of The Independent likened the social media backlash against Heard and her supporters during the trial to Gamergate, claiming that "the anti-Amber train has been expertly commandeered by the alt-right." Journalist Amelia Tait of The Guardian wrote that Depp v. Heard had turned into "trial by TikTok", stating that the case had become "a source of comedy" on social media. Similar themes were noted by journalists at BuzzFeed News, The Independent, and Vanity Fair. Sunny Hundal of The Independent, remarking upon social media reactions about Depp and Heard, opined that "There clearly isn't a gender divide here either. A lot of women have taken Johnny Depp's side, and a lot of vocal men are on Heard's side. But it can also be true that social media coverage of this case has subtly played into traditional, sexist tropes about men and women." Columnist Katie Edwards, writing for The Independent and the i Newspaper, argued that the trial "exposed the fallacy of mutual abuse" and claimed that "war criminals guilty of atrocities don't get as much vitriol" as Heard. A.O. Scott argued that Depp's gender allowed the courtroom audience to "accept him as flawed, vulnerable, human, and to view her as monstrous," contending that "elebrity and masculinity confer mutually reinforcing advantages."

Misinformation was widely shared, with researchers identifying bots artificially spreading content. For example, social media users falsely alleged that Heard copied quotes from the film The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) in her testimony. Widely shared falsehoods that Heard was using cocaine on the stand were also disproven. Shannon Keating, a culture writer and editor for BuzzFeed News, wrote that the "social media frenzy around this case was clearly fueled by savvy PR", bots, and conservative media advertising, with the result that "lots of people have happily accepted the propaganda as sacrosanct." In May 2022, the media non-profit The Citizens and Vice World News reported that the conservative website The Daily Wire had spent between $35,000 and $47,000 on Facebook and Instagram advertisements and have promoted "misleading information about the trial" and "anti-Amber Heard propaganda".

In July 2022, Twitter analytics service Bot Sentinel, which was hired and paid by Heard's team, published a report saying that Twitter trolls had engaged in "rampant abuse and widespread targeted harassment" of women who voiced support for Heard. In November 2022, more than 130 people and groups associated with women's rights and domestic-violence prevention—including Gloria Steinem, the National Organization for Women, the National Women's Law Center, and Equality Now—signed an open letter supporting Heard. The letter noted that the vilification and "online harassment" of Heard and her supporters were "unprecedented in both vitriol and scale," and attributed it to "disinformation, misogyny, biphobia, and a monetized social media environment where a woman's allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault were mocked for entertainment." Psychology professor Jennifer Freyd, who coined the term DARVO (deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender), stated, "What we have witnessed in the US over this case has been an overwhelming case for Depp on social media. It is like an anti-Heard campaign and there has been a lot of Darvo."

The intense coverage of the trial and the fact that it was live-streamed made it an unusual case. Legal commentators and Heard's attorneys suggested that, because the jury was not sequestered, the social-media coverage of the trial may have had an influence on the final verdict. During the trial, the judge asked the jurors to refrain from reading about the case online, even instructing them to turn off their cell phones for its duration. Paula Todd, a lawyer and media professor, raised the question of how many of the jury members would listen to the judge's instructions to avoid accessing online coverage. Law professor Mary Anne Franks said, "t's crazy to think they are not going to be influenced by what's happening on social media," further noting that she encountered out-of-context, distorted depictions of the trial despite trying to avoid reading about the case. Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond School of Law professor, said "I don't envy the judge—or the jurors—because it's hard to protect them from influences," noting that such outside influences inhibit the justice system's ability to "give people a fair day in court." Following the trial, a juror denied that the jury had been influenced by social media, saying, "We followed the evidence. We didn't take into account anything outside They were very serious accusations and a lot of money involved. So we weren't taking it lightly."

Comments by juror

Following the trial, a juror was interviewed by Good Morning America. The juror stated that he found that Depp and Heard "were both abusive to each other" but that Heard's team failed to prove that Depp's abuse was physical. "They had their husband-wife arguments. They were both yelling at each other, I don't think that makes either of them right or wrong But to rise to the level of what she was claiming, there wasn't enough or any evidence that really supported what she was saying". The juror opined that Heard's testimony was not "believable" because it "seemed like she was able to flip the switch on her emotions", while Depp "seemed a little more real in terms of how he responded to questions". Heard, the juror said, was considered the aggressor in the relationship by the majority of the jury, stating "If you have a battered wife or spouse situation, why would you buy the other person, the 'aggressor,' a knife?"

The Washington Post

On June 2, 2022, The Washington Post affixed an editor's note to Heard's 2018 op-ed to notify readers of the defamation suit and its outcome, reading, "On June 1, 2022, a jury found Heard liable on three counts. The jury separately found that Depp, through his lawyer Adam Waldman, defamed Heard in one of three counts in her countersuit."

Commentary on verdict

Various columnists and legal experts reacted strongly to the verdict. Defamation suits by public figures are rarely successful in the United States, relevant case law being New York Times Co. v. Sullivan and the subsequent Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts. New York Times reporter Jeremy W. Peters said that, in publishing allegations of abuse, "both ... women and the press assume the considerable risk that comes with antagonizing the rich, powerful and litigious". Dan Novack of The Atlantic argued that the verdict concluded a "fair trial" and was not a markedly different interpretation of the First Amendment, which he says remains "enormously protective of media reporting on credible accusations of sexual abuse. It is telling that Depp did not name the ACLU, which helped draft the op-ed at the center of the case, or The Washington Post (which published it)."

University of Richmond School of Law Professor Carl Tobias said he was surprised by the verdict, and said it was "unusual" that both Depp and Heard won at least one count each. Lisa Bloom, an attorney in several high-profile sexual abuse cases, described the verdicts as "inconsistent", asking, "How can it be that Amber Heard was defamed when Johnny Depp's lawyer said that her allegations were a hoax, and yet Johnny Depp was also defamed when she said she was representative of domestic violence?" Entertainment Weekly asked Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, and Valentina Shaknes, a founding partner of matrimonial law firm Krauss Shaknes Tallentire & Messeri, to explain "why was it defamatory for Depp's lawyers to accuse of a hoax" when "the jury didn't find her abuse claims credible": Rahmani suggested that the jury decided that Waldman "lied when he said that Heard and her friends set Depp up and perpetuated a hoax when they called the LAPD to the apartment", likely because "the evidence revealed that Heard didn't call LAPD" and Heard "didn't even cooperate with LAPD when they showed up". Shaknes, who had previously expressed surprise at the verdicts (saying, "It sort of took me a minute to figure out how they both could be awarded damages; how they both could be right"), said, "The best way to translate it is that I think the jury wanted to give Amber something."

Several commentators and feminist organizations expressed concern that the suit set a precedent that would dissuade survivors of abuse from speaking out in light of the threat of defamation litigation. An open letter signed by more than 130 women's-rights and domestic-violence-centered organizations and activists denounced the "rising misuse" of defamation lawsuits to silence people who report domestic and sexual abuse and stated that the verdict and the online response "indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner and sexual violence and how survivors respond to it." Similarly, Kathy Spillar, the executive director of the Feminist Majority Foundation, said her organization observed a "growing backlash" against women who speak out against abusers, adding, "If this can happen to Amber Heard, it will discourage other women from speaking up and even filing reports about domestic violence and sexual assault." Conversely, Fox Nation's Tomi Lahren argued that, rather than chill speech, Depp's victory represented a "big victory in the battle against cancel culture".

Founder of Refuge Erin Pizzey expressed her support to Johnny Depp, describing him as a survivor of domestic violence: “Johnny Depp is a hero. He is a precedent setter who has done the world a great favour. From now on, every judge and jury considering allegations of abuse will know of this case. They will know that an accused man has proven his innocence, and that men are abused too. Most importantly, they will know that a violent woman was the abuser, and that women can be violent—this realisation is the trial’s legacy."

Some commentators were skeptical of the trial's long-term effect, arguing that the trial's context was too unique to be indicative of #MeToo's reversal. Mitra Ahouraian, a media attorney, said "I'm hoping that people recognize this as distinct from a lot of the #MeToo situations that we've seen, for example, like the Harvey Weinsteins of the world, This is not that. This is two people who were in a toxic relationship that were awful to one another and a jury decided that one of them was manipulating the situation." Leading sexual assault lawyer Debra Katz described the trial as having unique celebrity, "dysfunction", and "craziness" but judged that the Depp v. Heard verdict was less "consequential" to #MeToo compared to Harvey Weinstein losing his appeal for his rape conviction the next day. Tarana Burke, generally considered the founder of #MeToo, tweeted that "The 'me too' movement isn't dead, this system is dead. When you get the verdict you want, 'the movement works' – when you don't, it's dead. This movement is very much alive."

Alexandra Lysova, Associate Professor of Criminology at Simon Fraser University, argued that the verdict was, in fact, an expansion of #MeToo to male victims of intimate partner violence. Conversely, A.O. Scott pointed out that, though Depp "accused Heard of doing terrible things to him in the course of their relationship and breakup, the lawsuit wasn't about those things. It was about words published under her name, none of which were 'Johnny Depp.'" And, writing for Vox, Constance Grady said, "Depp's victory is not an expansion of the gains of Me Too. It is a cynical appropriation of the rhetoric of Me Too, applied now to its end."

Jack Houghton, digital editor of Sky News Australia, deemed Vasquez's cross-examination to have showed the public Heard's lack of credibility while further considered the ruling of Waldman having defamed Heard to be "hardly a verdict that a cabal of sexist jurors would render". Halim Dhanidina, a criminal defense attorney and retired judge, and Limor Mojdehiazad, a family law attorney, agreed that the manner of Heard's testimony may have influenced the jury's verdict against her, and also agreed that Depp's legal team was stronger than Heard's. Dhanidina opined that Depp's legal team brought forth more convincing witnesses and evidence, while Heard's testimony had inconsistencies, some of which were caused by her lawyers, who wrongly suggested that Heard used a specific makeup kit which had not yet been developed at the time of the alleged events.

Media coverage

Film adaptation

A film adaptation of the trial, Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial, premiered on September 30, 2022, on Tubi.

Books

Journalist Nick Wallis's book, Depp v Heard: The Unreal Story, about the trials in both the UK and the US and his experiences reporting from court was published in May 2023.

TV

BBC News aired Reputation: Depp v Heard in June 2022. In the same month, Channel 5 broadcast Depp vs Heard: Winners and Losers. Discovery+ released the documentary Johnny vs Amber: The US Trial in September 2022, which was added to Max on May 23, 2023. Another documentary was released by the French national television broadcaster France Télévisions in February 2023. The documentary, titled "Affaire Johnny Depp/Amber Heard", was released as the fifth episode of the third season of the La Fabrique du Mensonge docuseries broadcast by the network. Channel 4 aired the three-part docuseries Depp v. Heard in May 2023 based on transcripts of the US defamation trial. Netflix released the docuseries outside the UK on August 16, 2023. A three part series titled Surviving Amber Heard was released on Amazon Prime in 2023.

Podcast

A podcast series titled Who Trolled Amber? was released in 2024. The podcast says that between 2016 and 2022, over 800,000 tweets were posted containing the hashtag #AmberHeardIsAnAbuser. The podcast alleges a link between Depp and Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and claims Saudi-funded bot networks were used to send tweets, including one instance where more than a hundred Twitter accounts simultaneously sent messages to companies Heard had worked for that said: "This brand supports domestic violence against men." The podcast also claims bot networks in Spain and Thailand engaged in similar activity.

See also

References

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