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Amber Heard believes a binder of notes from her therapist — that were not allowed as evidence during her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp — would have made a difference in the jury’s decision, but social media users have mixed opinions about it.
In the latest segment of her interview with Savannah Guthrie for NBC News, which aired in full on “Dateline” Friday night, Heard was asked whether there was any evidence that wasn’t presented in court during her six-week defamation trial with Depp that she believes could have swayed the jury’s decision.
The 36-year-old actress claimed that she has “years of notes dating back to 2011 from the very beginning of my relationship that were taken by my doctor, who I was reporting the abuse to. Her notes represented years — years — of real-time explanations of what was going on,” according to People.
The notes, which were shared on “Dateline,” stated that Heard told her therapist Depp allegedly “hit her” and “threw her on the floor” in January 2012 and, eight months later, “ripped her nightgown” and “threw her on the bed.” Heard further alleged that her ex-husband “threw her against a wall and threatened to kill her” in 2013.
The judge in the case excluded Heard’s therapist’s notes on hearsay grounds, Today reported.
Twitter users had mixed reactions to Heard’s comments and evidence, with some saying that the notes should have been allowed in court while others accused the actress of trying to sway public opinion before she appeals the verdict in the trial.
“Therapist notes are only what a patient says, it’s not proof it’s true. If you tell your therapist your dog talks to you, it’s noted. That doesn’t mean it actually happened. This is why therapist notes are not evidence.,” one Twitter user wrote.
“No one is saying Amber Heard can’t be a victim. However, she’s not a victim of what she claims Johnny Depp did to her. Her therapist notes prove nothing; they change NOTHING. She wants to ‘move on’ but leaks literal hearsay to try and sway public opinion of her,” a second person tweeted.
However, another Twitter user argued, “This hearsay argument asks victims to always have direct witnesses to abuse, as if abusers don’t purposely commit those acts in private. It‘s ridiculous. She wasn‘t telling a rando. She told her therapist. They allowed text messages to her mom, why not medical notes???”
“What is utterly disgusting is that Guthrie had access to Amber’s medical notes dating back to 2011 and yet she couldn’t come up with a single intelligent question for Amber. She simply reiterated talking points,” one Heard supporter commented.
Some wondered why her therapist was not called in as a witness since the notes were not allowed in court. “Where is the therapist that took these notes? This therapist could have testified for Amber, so where are they?” one person wrote.
On June 1, a Virginia jury found that Heard defamed Depp in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed about surviving domestic abuse and awarded him more than $10 million in damages.
Heard was awarded $2 million in damages after the jury found that Depp defamed her via his lawyer. She plans to appeal the verdict.
Ahead of Heard’s interview with Guthrie, Depp’s legal team issued a statement to NBC, saying, “It’s unfortunate that while Johnny is looking to move forward with his life, the defendant and her team are back to repeating, reimagining and re-litigating matters that have already been decided by the Court and a verdict that was unanimously and unequivocally decided by a jury in Johnny’s favor.”
On Friday, a spokesperson for Heard said in a statement, “If Mr. Depp or his team have a problem with [Heard’s interview], we recommend that Johnny himself sit down with Savannah Guthrie for an hour and answer all her questions.”
The full “Dateline” special featuring Heard will be available to stream on Peacock starting Saturday.
Photo: POOL via AFP / JIM WATSON
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