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Johnny Depp’s lawyers suspect the jury did not believe Amber Heard during the defamation trial because she failed to take “accountability” for her actions.
On Wednesday, Depp’s attorneys Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Chew appeared on the “Today” show, where they discussed why the jury didn’t side with Heard. “My sense is that it had to do a lot with accountability,” Chew said.
“Johnny owned his issues. He was very candid about his alcohol and drug issues. He was candid about some unfortunate texts that he wrote.”
However, Depp’s lawyer believes Heard failed to do the same. “I think it was sharp contrast to Ms. Heard, who didn’t seem, or at least the jury may have perceived that she didn’t take accountability for anything,” Chew said.
He went on to shut down Heard’s “utterly baseless” claims that an online smear campaign was launched against her.
“In fact, very early in the case, the prior Chief Judge White had thrown out accounts and counterclaims that related to that,” Chew explained. “It was absolutely absurd and baseless.”
Following the verdict, Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft did several interviews with the press in which she alleged the jury was influenced by social media, but Chew dismissed the speculation.
“I don’t think there’s any reason to believe that the jurors violated their oath,” Chew said. “And again, that suggestion was disappointing to hear.”
Although Vasquez acknowledged the reach of social media, she insisted the jury remained dedicated to properly carrying out their duties.
“It is everywhere, but at the same time, they were admonished every single night,” Vasquez added. “They had a tremendous amount of respect for the court and the process, and they were doing the best that they could.”
Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard over her 2018 The Washington Post op-ed essay, in which she referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard countersued Depp for $100 million.
During the June 1 verdict, the jury found Heard defamed Depp in her article and awarded him almost $10.4 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages but received nothing in punitive damages.
Although Bredehoft previously revealed Heard plans to file an appeal, Depp’s attorneys are “confident that there are no errors that would justify any kind of successful appeal.”
Photo: POOL via AFP / Michael REYNOLDS
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