Johnny Depp’s lawyers Camille VasquezAnd Benjamin Chew shut down assumptions that online support for their client swayed the jury’s ruling in his defamation lawsuit.
“Social media played no role whatsoever. This was a jury decision based on both sides’ evidence. Camille stated: [earlier in the interview], it was overwhelmingly in Mr. Depp’s favor,” Chew said during a joint interview on Good Morning America, which aired on Wednesday, June 8, noting that the court battle was “never about money.”
The lawyer had a similar response during an appearance on Today, adding, “No, I don’t think there’s any reason to believe that the jurors violated their oath. It was disappointing to hear that suggestion again. [from Amber Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft].”
Vasquez, for her portion, praised the dedication of the jury members to the trial. “It is everywhere, but at the same time, they were admonished every single night,” she added. “They had a tremendous amount of respect for the court and the process, and they were doing the best that they could.”
Heard’s lawyer recently called out the role that social media seemingly played in the high-profile lawsuit. “How can you not [see it]? [The jury]Every night, they went home. They have families. The families are on social media,” Bredehoft said on the Today show on Thursday, June 2. “We had a 10-day break in the middle because of the judicial conference. There’s no way they couldn’t have been influenced by it. It was awful. It was truly, truly lopsided. It’s like the Roman Colosseum.”
After Depp, 58, was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages, and $5 million in punitive damages, a judge earlier this month announced that the trial would continue. Heard, 36 years old, was awarded $2 million in compensatory damage and no punitive damages as part of her counterclaim.
After the amount was reduced by a Virginia law that caps punitive damages, Texas’ native will only be required to pay $10.35million. A source revealed that the verdict was confirmed by Us WeeklyThe Drive AngryThe actress wanted to appeal the decision.
“She is 100 percent appealing on freedom of speech and is telling friends she is determined to take it all the way to the Supreme Court if she has to,” the insider said. “She is not able to comprehend that she lost.”
The actress also addressed concerns about the effect of the verdict on other cases. “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” she wrote via Instagram. “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a day when women who spoke out could be shamed and humiliated publicly. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”
On Wednesday, Depp’s lawyers denied that the actor’s defamation trial would affect the rate of domestic violence victims coming forward. “I mean, frankly, we don’t worry,” Vasquez said on the Today show. “We encourage all victims to come forward and have their day in court, which is exactly what happened in this case.”
Vasquez said that the case sparked a discussion about domestic violence not being gender-specific. “We believe that the verdict speaks for itself, the facts are what they were, the jury made a unanimous decision based on those facts,” she added on GMA.
The widespread reaction to the incident has led to the following: Pirates of the CaribbeanStar joined TikTok to show his support for his fans. “To all of my most treasured, loyal and unwavering supporters. We’ve been everywhere together, we have seen everything together. We have all walked the same road together. We did the right thing together because you cared. And now, we will all move forward together,” the Kentucky native captioned his first post on Tuesday, June 7.
He concluded: “You are, as always, my employers and once again I am whittled down to no way to say thank you, other than just by saying thank you. I am grateful. My love & respect, JD.”
