Journalists rallying together to twist the outcome of the trial which is undeniably, a monumental win for Depp. Full 3 counts won out of 3
Even Heard acknowledges in her latest statement that she lost.
This ruling is not silencing her because she dared speaking up, as I’ve read from some people. Yes survivors do not always have evidence and it does not mean that they’ve lied. But here’s the specific thing in this lawsuit: Heard spoke up, has been saying since 2016 that she had mountains of evidence, it didn’t match (to say the least) and we saw a bunch of fuckery went on with the metadata - photographs and perjury.
So what the 7 jury members unanimously found (and not1 judge who very publicly stated he couldn’t care less about Depp’s evidence) is that ALL of her statements about being a victim are false and by definition, didn’t believe that she is a victim. And this judgment was made taking into consideration her so called “mountain of evidence”.
To the contrary, they believed Depp on all counts.
Don’t get fooled by the “they both defamed each other” headlines either, this is a huge toll for Amber who was directly held accountable. Her only win is for a statement made by a third party, Adam Waldman, in an article for which she got awarded $0 in punitive damages and $2M in compensation.
Now we can talk about the potential damages made to survivors who already fear of speaking up, it is a very factual thing, but do not blame it on Depp for coming with the facts and having the right to do so. If you tell the truth, you don’t set anybody back. If you LIE on the back of a very important movement and women who actually suffer daily, though, you sure as hell hurt a whole lot of people.Don’t use this case to dismiss future women coming forward, also don’t make excuses for Heard’s actions not only with Depp but with the charities, employees, men and women that have come forward to share their personal experiences with her.
Defamation and implication made on lies are not and should not be freedom of speech.
I usually have no faith in the justice system, I had purposely convinced myself that he was likely to lose despite knowing the evidence was on his side. But when some light shines through every once in a while, it must be appreciated, same way I’m glad Britney got out of that conservatorship after being silenced and abused for most of her life.
Lastly, this was one very difficult lawsuit to win, so yes, Johnny Depp winning on all 3 counts is one massive victory.
I realize I may lose some mutuals over this, but it needs to be said. The criticism of the Depp v Heard trial is just as biased and oversimplified as the clickbait tiktoks and youtube videos.
If all you saw of the trial were those videos that made light of a serious situation, then I understand your misconception, however there was and is legitimate coverage by actual trial attorneys who provided unbiased commentary, as well as education.
Heard lost the trial because her evidence was not good. Her testimony kept changing. Her witnesses were refuted by actual, empirical evidence. The forensic psychologists on her team did not meet with Depp, while Depp’s psychologists met with her. This is on top of a myriad of other points in Depp’s favor and/or Heard’s lack of credibility, as well as her history of DV and Depp’s refuted ones by former partners.
He’s not a saint, but he was abused; Heard is on record (as testimony and in a recording between herself and Depp) as acknowledging she struck him, then to tell him that he will not be believed
I was under the same biases at the beginning, too, but a lot of those biases came from the internalized misogynistic* perspective that men cannot be victims of women. Women can be abusers, too; we have to think that more than we just say it and think we mean it.
If you’d like some recommendations on YouTube, see NatalieLawyerChick,EmilyDBaker, and AttorneyTom. These are practicing attorneys and/or legal professionals (Emily was a criminal district attorney, but stepped away and is now a legal consultant/commentator).
Believe who you want, but consider your reasons for doing so. Or don’t.
*yes, misogynistic, I did not mistype. The assumption that women are too weak or too pure to be violent is rooted in sexism, and the assumption that a man cannot be abused by a woman comes also from the perspective that to be abused is to be female, to be female is to be weak, to be weak is subhuman, and men are the only ones with “True Humanity.”
I realize I may lose some mutuals over this, but it needs to be said. The criticism of the Depp v Heard trial is just as biased and oversimplified as the clickbait tiktoks and youtube videos.
If all you saw of the trial were those videos that made light of a serious situation, then I understand your misconception, however there was and is legitimate coverage by actual trial attorneys who provided unbiased commentary, as well as education.
Heard lost the trial because her evidence was not good. Her testimony kept changing. Her witnesses were refuted by actual, empirical evidence. The forensic psychologists on her team did not meet with Depp, while Depp’s psychologists met with her. This is on top of a myriad of other points in Depp’s favor and/or Heard’s lack of credibility, as well as her history of DV and Depp’s refuted ones by former partners.
He’s not a saint, but he was abused; Heard is on record (as testimony and in a recording between herself and Depp) as acknowledging she struck him, then to tell him that he will not be believed
I was under the same biases at the beginning, too, but a lot of those biases came from the internalized misogynistic* perspective that men cannot be victims of women. Women can be abusers, too; we have to think that more than we just say it and think we mean it.
If you’d like some recommendations on YouTube, see NatalieLawyerChick,EmilyDBaker, and AttorneyTom. These are practicing attorneys and/or legal professionals (Emily was a criminal district attorney, but stepped away and is now a legal consultant/commentator).
Believe who you want, but consider your reasons for doing so. Or don’t.
*yes, misogynistic, I did not mistype. The assumption that women are too weak or too pure to be violent is rooted in sexism, and the assumption that a man cannot be abused by a woman comes also from the perspective that to be abused is to be female, to be female is to be weak, to be weak is subhuman, and men are the only ones with “True Humanity.”
oh my god you think women can also lie and be bad??? that’s such a brave and controversial opinion, i’m sure all the cops calling abused women hysterical have never heard of it
sadly cw for domestic violence and rape i have to mention the trial..
seeking derangements posted a screencap of the them amber heard article as a joke
the joke being the bi discourse is at it again…
a queer friend sent it to me thinking i would also think it was funny.
the first paragraph of the article being made fun of here recounts heard’s testimony that at one point depp raped her because he was jealous of her interactions with another woman. this was not the only account of abuse related to her sexuality that has come up in this trial and previous ones, notably imo their divorce itself, which was the last time her sexuality was really public discussion. and we should understand the workings of divorce itself as a tool of abuse in any kind of case like this (if we understand that actions in divorce are abusive tools for men against women [and i can think of some times when it’s women against women lol shout-out to the uk for convincing feminists banning divorce was their idea ]) what then must we understand of their heterosexual marriage to begin with… digressing!)
this is an extreme but not particularly uncommon example, and it’s not like bi erasure or whatever other thing, it’s more like— it’s very obviously manufactured. the joke about amber heard being raped for being a queer woman and then crying bi oppression seems like one kind of thing. but the other thing is you endlessly sharing and circulating “annoying bisexual” tiktoks that were literally designed in a lab to create this reaction, and then generating from them that reaction (mad about a bisexual woman you invented in your head, bisexuals have taken over the culture, etc.) do you genuinely think, using your entire brain, that this is an accident of timing?
& now it is accompanied by people posting 100 astroturfed tiktoks while being like “i have cool bisexual woman friends who aren’t annoying” and/or sharing those directly with your bisexual woman friends being like not YOU and it’s like why ? what validation for your grievances are you genuinely asking us to perform for you while the queer podcasters joke about the lie of bisexual woman getting raped and then having all their money taken from them while also a same exact version of the money piece AT LEAST is probably happening to many of us in that moment. why ? why are you mad about tiktoks. you really do need to figure out how to free yourself from Brands this pride
i don’t EVER want to hear “ughh why do people care about this celebrity drama they’re both bad it’s not that deep” again. if you cant see the sweeping ramifications of this you’re blind or dumb or both
As a verdict is possibly hours away, a sense of dread has been building in my stomach for what it will mean for Amber’s future, as well as all victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly as women’s basic rights continue to be under attack in the United States. Like many people who are following the case, I have personal experiences with abuse. Much of my research focuses on IPV, specifically, the disparities in resources and services that are available for survivors to leave their abusers, such as economic, social, geographical barriers. It’s a topic which is deeply tied to my own personal experiences and academic career.
I initially was ambivalent to Amber Heard. Before I began to research the case, I was firmly in the “they both suck” camp, having only briefly glanced through articles. I started to pay more attention to the media coverage over the past six weeks and was really staggered by how Heard was being portrayed as a lying, crazy, gold-digging woman through narratives that were not only going unchallenged, but were heavily perpetuated in the public discourse. Even worse, that the abuse she experienced had been capitalized on by “true crime” junkies and mocked in TikTok videos and Youtube compilations. So I began watching the trial live and found that there was far more evidence and far more substantial evidence which shows that JD was the perpetrator of abuse within their relationship.
Is she guilty of fighting back? Absolutely. Shenever liedabout doing so, even dating back to her 2016 deposition. However, fighting back against a man who has beaten you, sexually assaulted you, controlled your career, finances, and who you can associate with does not equate to being an abuser. It’s simply surviving. And yes, I’ve heard those audio tapes, the in which she’s expresses her incredulity at him for stating their fights were fair when she feared he would kill her.
His case has relied upon deeply misogynistic narratives to discredit both her claims and her character. She was after his money all along, even though she refused the 30 million dollar fortune she was legally entitled to, as there was no prenup. She painted on bruises, even though a makeup artist testified to covering up her swollen lip and two black eyes. She cut off his finger, even though multiple texts and even an audio recording showcase him admitting to doing it in the midst of a bender. She didn’t donate her money, even though she and the organization created a 10 year plan for her to make yearly payments (in my personal opinion, what she does with her money either way is nobody’s fucking business). Also worth noting, an ACLU representative testified to her being ahead of schedule until Depp began suing her. She made up a hoax, because she documented her abuse - as we advise all people who are in abusive situations to do. She’s a liar, because women are inherently deceitful liars.
I don’t know whether Amber Heard will win her case. We’re witnessing a radical right-wing political swing to control and criminalize women’s bodies with Roe v. Wade under attack right now. To be blunt, I have very little faith in the justice system and that a jury - in Virginia of all places - will rule in favour of an abused woman over her charismatic, powerful ex-husband. However, I think it’s important to remember that Amber did everything right, that is, everything we tell women to do. She documented her abuse, left her abusive partner, and was granted a restraining order - and she’s continuing to be punished for doing so. If Amber, a privileged white woman with access to economic resources, is still struggling to escape her abuser, how can we expect women without those privileges to?
