Topline
Johnny Depp’s lawyers Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez denied Wednesday there was a coordinated campaign to drum up support for their client and that their victory in his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard will damper the #MeToo movement, as Heard and some victims organizations have said it will.
Johnny Depp lawyers Benjamin G. Chew, left, and Camille Vasquez, right, make statements outside the … [+]
Key Facts
Speaking on Good Morning America, Vasquez said they “encourage any victim to come forward—domestic violence doesn’t have a gender.”
When asked by host George Stephanopoulos if a deal could be worked out where Heard does not have to pay damages to Depp if she does not appeal the verdict, Chew said he could not comment but that “this was never about money for” Depp, “this was about restoring his reputation.”
Chew said that social media—which was gripped by the trial and seemed to overwhelmingly favor Depp—didn’t play a role in influencing the verdict.
Speaking on the Today show, Chew denied claims made by Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft that there was an organized online campaign for Depp, calling it “utterly baseless” and Vasquez called it “categorically false.”
Key Background
Last week a jury found that Heard defamed Depp in a 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post in which she called herself a “public victim representing domestic abuse,” without naming Depp. The jury found that Depp defamed Heard in a statement his lawyer made calling her claims of abuse a hoax. Depp was awarded $10.3 million in damages, and Heard was awarded $2 million. Bredehoft said Heard cannot pay the judgment, and has said she intends to appeal.
Tangent
Depp joined TikTok this week, a platform where there was strong support for him during the trial, and posted a video thanking his supporters and showed footage of those who stood outside the courthouse to cheer and hold signs for him. “We will all move forward together,” he said, hinting at a restart to his career after the trial.
Further Reading
Amber Heard’s Lawyer Says Actress Can’t Pay $10 Million Judgment To Johnny Depp (Forbes)
Jury Rules Amber Heard Defamed Johnny Depp In Domestic Abuse Op-Ed (Forbes)
Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Defamation Trial Handed Off To Jury (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/06/08/johnny-depps-lawyers-dont-think-verdict-will-affect-metoo-movement/