Johnny Depp’s defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard is drawing to a close after Friday’s closing arguments. Jury deliberations have begun in the trial after six weeks of heated and scandalous testimony from both sides.
There is no clear winner in the case, though many feel that Depp did have praise throughout the case from onlookers. But the jury has the testimony and evidence to go through, not online opinion. It’s not open and shut at this point.
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For those looking for the end of the trial, it won’t come before the Memorial Day holiday. The jury was sent home for the long weekend around 5 p.m. local time and won’t head back until after the holiday.
Each side presented emotional pleas on behalf of their clients on Friday. The jury will not only have to decide the result in Depp’s case against Heard, but they will also address the $100 million countersuit Heard filed over comments made by Depp’s former attorney Adam Waldman.
Heard has done her best with the support of her team to prove that Depp has committed years of abuse against her during their marriage, sometimes graphically accusing the actor during testimony. Depp stands by his claim that Heard was the abuser, with many on his side claiming the actress is responsible for an “abuse hoax.”
“Today, on May 27, 2022 … we ask you to give Mr. Depp his life back by telling the world that Mr. Depp is not the abuser Ms. Heard said he is and hold Ms. Heard accountable for her lies,” Depp’s attorney Camille Vasquez told the jury on Friday.
Heard’s defense closed out, led by Benjamin Rottenborn, called out Depp’s legal team for claiming the actress faked her evidence and “victim-blaming.” “The facts are absolutely overwhelming of abuse. One time, that’s all you have to remember,” the lawyer told the court. “Mr. Depp simply cannot prove to you that he never once abused Amber. … A ruling against Amber here sends a message that no matter what you do as an abuse victim, you always have to do more.”
Depp was not explicitly named in the Washington Post op-ed, with Heard’s byline, at the center of this case. But given their high-profile divorce and comments made in emails with the ACLU, it seems to be insinuated that Heard is speaking about her ex’s alleged behavior.
