Johnny Depp’s Attorney Makes Closing Arguments in Amber Heard Trial

Johnny Depp’s attorneys Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez delivered blunt closing arguments on Friday as the Depp v. Heard trial came to a close. The plaintiff’s team said that Amber Heard and her legal team needed to “prove that her abuse claims are not a hoax,” and asked the jury to consider whether they were successful. They said that this was especially important in consideration of Heard’s $100 million counterclaim in this case.

“What you have in the end is Miss Heard’s word – do you trust it?” Vasquez asked the jurors. She focused heavily on Heard’s counterclaim in the end, according to a report by Deadline, implying that it put the onus on Heard to prove the truth of her claims rather than on Depp’s team to prove their falsehood. She said that any damaged to Heard’s reputation since the divorce was not Depp’s fault, nor was it related to attorney Adam Waldman’s interview with The Daily Mail which spurred the counterclaim. Vasquez said that there is “clear evidence that Waldman believed that Heard committed a hoax.”

Vazquez also questioned whether Heard’s career and reputation have been meaningfully damaged, pointing out that she was able to keep her roles in Justice League, Aquaman and Aquaman 2. She reminded jurors of Warner Bros. Walter Hamada’s testimony, where he said that Heard’s paycheck for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was not reduced even after her screentime in the script was.

Vasquez acknowledged some of Depp’s flaws and missteps — which Chew would focus on more later — but she insisted that the jury pick a side in this case. While Heard’s attorney said that the jury only needed to believe one instance of domestic abuse to absolve Heard of defamation, Vasquez disagreed. She said: “Either [Heard] is telling the truth, including in her most extreme allegations, or she is lying.”

Chew began his closing arguments by saying that “Before Amber Heard, no women ever… claimed Mr. Depp raised a hand to her in his 58 years,” in spite of Ellen Barkin’s testimony about an incident where Depp threw a wine bottle at her an a group of party guests in his apartment. Chew used several buzzwords, calling this trial “MeToo without any MeToo” and saying that “Depp was canceled because Miss Heard falsley accused him of domestic violence.”

Chew acknowledged that Depp “is no saint,” referring to his drug use, his violent language and his previous entanglements with the law. However, he said, “there is a world of difference between having substance abuse problems and being a physical abuser.” Like Vasquez, Chew also emphasized that Heard’s op-ed accused Depp of physical and sexual abuse specifically, so the jury’s belief in verbal abuse would not do.

The jury is deliberating on the Depp v. Heard case now to determine whether Heard is guilty of defamation, and also whether Depp defamed Heard through the process of this public spectacle. There’s no telling when they might submit a decision.