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Johnny Depp‘s team delivered closing arguments Friday in the blockbuster defamation trial that has raged on for six weeks.
Depp’s all-star attorney Camille Vasquez began by labeling Amber Heard an ‘abuser’.
‘There is an abuser in this courtroom but it’s not Mr. Depp. There’s a victim of abuse in this court but it’s not Miss Heard,’ Vaquez said. ‘Miss Heard is in fact the abuser and Mr. Depp is the abused.’
Vasquez noted expert accounts that diagnosed Heard with Borderline Personality Disorder and called the actress a ‘deeply, troubled person’ who is ‘desperate for attention and approval.’
It is six years ago to the day that Amber Heard filed a restraining order against Depp, which Vasquez said ‘ruined’ the actor’s life.
‘On May 27th 2016 Miss Heard walked into a courthouse in Los Angeles, California to get a no notice ex parte restraining order against Mr. Depp and in doing so ruined his life by falsely telling the world she was a survivor of domestic violence against Mr. Depp.
‘Today on May 27 2022, exactly six years later, we asked you to give Mr. Depp his life back by telling the world that Mr. Depp is not the abuser Miss Heard said he is and hold Miss Heard accountable for her lies.’
At 3pm local time the jury in the case went out to deliberate.
Closing arguments are underway in the blockbuster defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Depp’s all-star attorney Camille Vasquez began by labeling Amber Heard an ‘abuser’
‘There is an abuser in this courtroom but it’s not Mr. Depp. There’s a victim of abuse in this court but it’s not Miss Heard,’ Vaquez said. ‘Miss Heard is in fact the abuser and Mr. Depp is the abused’
It is six years ago to the day that Amber Heard filed a restraining order against Depp, which Vasquez said ‘ruined’ the actor’s life
Depp waved to his adoring fans as he left the courtroom, while Heard was more subdued after closing arguments
‘What’s at stake is this man’s good name, what’s at stake is a man’s life that he lost when he was accused of heinous crimes and the life he could live when he’s finally vindicated,’ Vasquez said.
‘Six years ago today Miss Heard filed a false report of domestic violence against her husband of 15 months, Johnny Depp. It was a set up, she tipped off the paparazzi so they would be waiting.
‘They knew where she would pause’ and show off her bruise, Vasquez said.
She said: ‘The photos capture what they wanted her to see – the image of a battered woman. The dark mark on her face appeared six days after seeing Mr. Depp. It was a lie, she knew it, Mr. Depp knew it and multiple witnesses who saw her that week knew it. The world only saw what she wanted them to see.’
The court was shown the cover of People Magazine that displayed Heard’s bruised face.
‘Two years later when promoting the biggest role of her career – until this trial – Miss Heard presented herself as a public figure representing domestic violence,’ she said.
Vasquez said Heard’s allegations are ‘wild over the top and implausible and you can’t pick and choose which of these to believe and disregard. You believe all of it, or none of it.’
‘Either she’s a victim of truly horrific abuse or a woman who is willing to say absolutely anything. It is disturbing to think Miss Heard would make up the horrific tales of abuse she testified to in this courtroom.’
Abuse is a reality for ‘far too many women but the overwhelming evidence and weight of that evidence shows it’s not her story, it’s not Miss Heard’s story’, Vasquez said.
She said: ‘It was an act of profound cruelty, not just to Mr. Depp but to true survivors of domestic violence.
‘It was false, it was defamatory and it caused irreparable harm.’
Before closing arguments began Judge Penney Azcarate told the jury that their names would be sealed for a year due to the ‘high profile nature’ of the trial.
At the start of the trial she made no such ruling.
The court was shown the cover of People Magazine that displayed Heard’s bruised face
‘What’s at stake is this man’s good name, what’s at stake is a man’s life that he lost when he was accused of heinous crimes and the life he could live when he’s finally vindicated,’ Vasquez said
Vasquez said ‘most importantly you heard from Miss Heard herself’ including multiple audio recordings where she admits to being physically violent to Depp.
The jury heard a recording of Heard telling Depp: ‘I didn’t punch you, I hit you.’
Vasquez said, ‘Take a minute to think about what you heard there. Imagine that was Mr. Depp saying that to Miss Heard. This is the real miss Heard, in the audio recordings.
‘What you didn’t hear in a single audio recording was Mr. Depp ever admitting to hitting, punching or kicking Miss Heard. You didn’t hear it, it didn’t exist. It didn’t happen.’
In 2016 when Heard found out that Depp wanted to end the relationship she ‘went on the attack,’ Vasquez said.
She sent Depp a list of financial demands and when they were not met she landed ‘a blow more damaging’ than anything physical by accusing him of abuse.
Vasquez said, ‘She didn’t just want a divorce, she wanted to ruin him.’
According to Vasquez, Heard has told ‘lies upon lies’ including saying in media interviews that she gave away all of her $7million divorce settlement to the ACLU and the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.
That was a ‘blatant lie’ and she had only herself given under $1million from to the ACLU and $250,000 to the Children’s Hospital.
Vasquez said, ‘When you catch Miss Heard in a lie she covers it up with more lies.’
Next Vasquez turned to the ‘giant lie at the heart of this case’ which was ‘Miss Heard’s claim he was an abusive monster and she’s a public figure representing domestic abuse.’
Vasquez walked the jury through a number of the incidents in which Heard claims she was beaten up. They included the December 2015 attack where she claims Depp headbutted her, leaving her with two black eyes, a broken nose and chunks of hair missing
The day after she was allegedly abused, the actress went on The Late Late Show with James Corden and said her makeup team had to hide her cuts and bruises and apply heavy lipstick
She said, ‘We told you this would be a performance, the role of a lifetime as a heroic survivor of brutal abuse.’
‘Miss Heard went all in. She spun a story of shocking, overwhelming, brutal abuse. She came into this courtroom prepared to give the performance of her life and she gave it.
‘Miss Heard’s acting coach said Miss Heard has difficulty crying when she’s acting. You saw it, sobbing without tears while spinning elaborate, fantastic accounts of abuse.
‘It was a performance. She told you what she thinks you need to hear to convict this man as a domestic abuser and a rapist. She wants you to believe she was abused countless times over the entire course of their relationship. The evidence does not bear that out’.
Vasquez walked the jury through a number of the incidents in which Heard claims she was beaten up.
They included the December 2015 attack where she claims Depp headbutted her, leaving her with two black eyes, a broken nose and chunks of hair missing.
The jury were shown a photo of Heard appearing on the James Corden TV show the next day smiling and larking around for the camera.
Vasquez said: ‘Here is what Miss looked like on the James Corden show the next day.’
Turning to the incident in Australia where Heard claims that Depp violently raped her with a bottle, Vasquez said that ‘there was a monster in that house but it wasn’t Mr. Depp, it was Miss Heard.’
She said: ‘All the evidence shows it was Miss Heard who attacked and grievously wounded Mr. Depp, throwing a bottle at him and severing his finger.’
Depp’s attorney Benjamin Chew continued the closing statements and said that with the op-ed Heard was ‘trading on her accusations against Mr. Depp’ because she had the movie Aquaman to promote
Depp’s attorney Benjamin Chew continued the closing statements and said that with the op-ed Heard was ‘trading on her accusations against Mr. Depp’ because she had the movie Aquaman to promote.
She was ‘once again casting Mr. Depp as the villain in her drama’, Chew said.
He said,’ This case has never been about money nor is it about punishing Miss Heard. It’s about Mr. Depp’s reputation and freeing him from the prison he’s lived in for the past six years.’
Chew called the claims ‘despicably false’.
He said: ‘While Mr Depp’s name will be forever tarnished by these horrendous and false allegations this case is about telling you the truth of what happened
‘It’s about restoring his lost reputation. It’s about showing Mr. Depp’s children that the truth is worth fighting for.
‘And it’s about restoring Mr. Depp’s name and standing in the community to the fullest extent you can
‘He’s been carrying these outrageous stories on his back for six years. He’s told the unvarnished truth, even truth that’s pretty embarrassing
You’ve seen the evidence in this case – that evidence shows overwhelming Miss Heard’s attempt to portray herself as a heroic survivor and Mr. Depp as an abuser are utterly false
‘We implore you to give him his name back’.
‘Before Amber Heard no woman ever claimed that Mr Depp raised a hand to her in his 58 years and no other woman since Miss Heard made that false claim.’
‘This is MeToo without any MeToo.’
‘Think about the message Depp is sending every victim of domestic violence.’ Amber Heard’s legal team tells jurors they will be an ‘accomplice’ to Johnny’s ‘campaign of global humiliation’ if they side with him
Amber Heard‘s legal team told the jury in closing arguments to ‘think about the message’ Johnny Depp and his legal team are sending Heard and ‘by extension every victim of domestic violence.’
Taking the floor Friday, Heard’s lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn said, ‘If you didn’t take pictures it didn’t’ happen. If you did take pictures they’re fake. If you didn’t tell your friends they’re lying. If you did tell your friends they’re part of the hoax.’
‘Failure to seek medical attention meant you were not injured,’ Rottenborn said. ‘If you do seek medical treatment then you’re crazy and if you do everything to help your spouse rid himself of drugs and drink then ‘you’re a nag.’
Rottenborn continued, ‘And if you decide enough is enough and you have to leave to save yourself you’re a gold digger. That’s the message Mr. Depp is asking you to send.
He said that in Johnny Depp’s ‘world’ you don’t leave him, and if you do ‘he will start campaign of global humiliation against you.
‘He will do everything he can to destroy your life, to destroy your career. That’s what they’re trying to get you to be an accomplice to.’
‘Mr. Depp cannot and will not take responsibility for his own actions.’
At 3pm local time the jury in the case went out to deliberate.
Heard’s legal team told the jury in closing arguments to ‘think about the message’ Johnny Depp and his legal team are sending Heard and ‘by extension every victim of domestic violence’
Taking the floor Friday, Heard’s lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn said, ‘If you didn’t take pictures it didn’t’ happen. If you did take pictures they’re fake. If you didn’t tell your friends they’re lying. If you did tell your friends they’re part of the hoax’
Rottenborn said that in Johnny Depp’s ‘world’ you don’t leave him, and if you do ‘ he will start campaign of global humiliation against you
Heard’s other lawyer Elaine Bredehoft said that it was a ‘really big lie’ that Depp wanted to get his reputation back as he already lost a similar case in London in 2020.
‘Here we are for six weeks of your time. Six weeks of this court’s time. For what? For nothing? Only to go after Amber.
‘That’s psychological abuse because he wants to put her through this again.’
Bredehoft asked the jury to ‘finally hold this man responsible – he’s never accepted responsibility for anything in his life.’
She said: ‘We’re asking you to hold him legally responsible for his actions and to fully and fairly compensate Amber for what he has done by creating this concept of a hoax. We don’t want another lawsuit, we want to leave Amber alone and get on with her life.
Bredehoft said that Heard ‘intends to honor her pledges’ to donate $3.5million to the ACLU and $3.5million to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
She said: ‘She has to get out from under this first. Who would blame a woman for giving $1million in charitable donations. That sounds like psychological abuse to me.’
Turning to the question of damages, Bredehoft said that Heard testified that the case has ‘destroyed her life, it has consumed her.’
‘They were threatening to put her daughter in a microwave for god’s sake. She can’t get away from this. As she said, I’m a human being, no human being should be put through this’.
When Depp sued for $50million, Heard ‘sent a message’ by suing him back for $100million’, Bredehoft said.
While they were not expecting that full amount, they wanted the jury to ‘fully and fairly compensate Amber for everything she’s been through both in terms of reputation and emotional distress.’
On top of that they wanted the jury to impose $350,000 for punitive damages, Bredehoft said.
At one point, cell phones began going off in court during Heard’s closing statement. The judge said it was an ‘Amber Alert’ which is a child abduction alert system to ask the public for help in finding abducted children.
Heard’s other lawyer Elaine Bredehoft said that it was a ‘really big lie’ that Depp wanted to get his reputation back as he already lost a similar case in London in 2020
When Depp sued for $50million, Heard ‘sent a message’ by suing him back for $100million’, Bredehoft said. While they were not expecting that full amount, they wanted the jury to ‘fully and fairly compensate Amber for everything she’s been through both in terms of reputation and emotional distress’
At one point, cell phones began going off in court during Heard’s closing statement. The judge said it was an ‘Amber Alert’ which is a child abduction alert system to ask the public for help in finding abducted children
According to Rottenborn, the whole case ‘is about blaming Amber Heard for things she didn’t do.’ He said: ‘That’s what Mr. Depp does, blame other people and refuse to take accountability but the problem is he’s running headlong into the US constitution’
Rottenborn said that the key question for the jury was whether the First Amendment gives Heard the right to write her op-ed for the Washington Post.
Should she be allowed to describe the ‘hell’ she had gone through, Rottenborn asked.
He said, ‘You cannot simultaneously protect the First Amendment and find in favor of Johnny Depp.’
Rottenborn said that if the jury believes what Heard wrote is true then that’s the end of the case. Rottenborn said that Depp’s lawyers have criticized Heard for not speaking about the sexual abuse she suffered at his hands sooner.
He said: ‘People who have suffered that, they don’t want to broadcast to the world. It’s ridiculous, insulting, victim blaming at its most disgusting.’
According to Rottenborn, the whole case ‘is about blaming Amber Heard for things she didn’t do.’
He said: ‘That’s what Mr. Depp does, blame other people and refuse to take accountability but the problem is he’s running headlong into the US constitution.’
Referring to the headline on the article, he added: ‘You cannot hold Amber Heard liable for words she did not publish.’
Rottenborn called the abuse Heard suffered at the hands of Depp ‘heinous.’
He said, ‘Let me be very clear, if Amber was abused by Mr. Depp even one time then she wins.
‘We’re not just talking about physical abuse, we’re talking about emotional abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse. That’s what we’re talking about.’
Addressing the jury Rottenborn said that ‘he’s trying to fool you to believing….never a single time was he in any way abusive to Miss Heard. That’s absurd.’
The case is ‘not about who is the better spouse’ and if the jury think Depp and Heard were both abusive then they have to find in her favor.
Turning to the evidence, Rottenborn read out a text Depp sent to his ‘drug buddy’, the British actor Paul Bettany, in 2012 at the start of the relationship talking about how they wanted to ‘drown’ Heard and ‘f**k her burnt corpse to make sure she is dead’
It is six years ago to the day that Amber Heard filed a restraining order against Depp, which Vasquez said ‘ruined’ the actor’s life
Turning to the evidence, Rottenborn read out a text Depp sent to his ‘drug buddy’, the British actor Paul Bettany, in 2012 at the start of the relationship talking about how they wanted to ‘drown’ Heard and ‘f**k her burnt corpse to make sure she is dead’.
Rottenborn called it ‘some of the most vile, disgusting language you could ever imagine’.
In 2016 after Heard filed for divorce, Depp texted a friend saying he wanted to see that ‘c****rotting corpse decomposing in the f**king trunk of a Honda Civic’.
Rottenborn said: ‘These words are a window into the heart and mind of America’s favorite pirate. This is the real Johnny Depp
The same text promised to subject Heard to ‘global humiliation’ which Rottenborn said was ‘one of the only promises to Miss Heard that Mr. Depp has ever kept.’
The jury were shown the video of Depp smashing up his kitchen and drinking a ‘mega pint’ of wine.
Introducing it, Rottenborn said: ‘Let’s see the monster. Let’s see the monster in the flesh’.
He said: ‘Mr Depp knows he can turn into a monster. He got up here and tried to deny that to you. Talk about lack of accountability.’
The court has heard evidence that Heard is laughing at the end of the video.
But Rottenborn said: ‘You see Miss Heard laughing in that? She’s not laughing in that
‘Mr. Depp is laughing and making snide remarks but it’s not a laughing matter. Who does that?
Imagine being in Amber’s shoes…you’ve seen it before you’re praying it won’t’ happen again but deep down you know it will. You want him to change. Imagine watching your husband, the person you love behaving that way, like a wild animal. That’s abuse. THat’s domestic abuse’.
The jury were shown the video of Depp smashing up his kitchen and drinking a ‘mega pint’ of wine. Introducing it, Rottenborn said: ‘Let’s see the monster. Let’s see the monster in the flesh’
Turning to the specific incidents, Rottenborn dismissed the witnesses who testified on behalf of Depp as they were ‘on his payroll.’
Rottenborn said it was ‘sickening’ that Depp texted Heard she was a ‘lesbian camp counselor’ while she flew of his island in the Bahamas with his daughter after he became drunk and abusive.
The flight from Boston to Los Angeles when Depp passed out moaning ‘like an animal’ was an example of ‘Depp the monster’, Rottenborn said.
Depp was ‘controlling’ and had a ‘jealous rage’, once writing to Heard that ‘I have other uses for your throat which do not include injury’.
Rottenborn called this ‘vile’ and said that it showed how Depp ‘thinks about women…it’s disgusting.’
The idea that Heard created the photos of herself with bruises made no sense, the lawyer claimed.
Rottenborn asked sarcastically that Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez ‘has the nerve to say why didn’t she video it.’
He said: ‘As she’s being hit she’s supposed to grab a video camera with one hand while defending herself with the other?’
Rottenborn said that Heard would have to be the ‘dumbest person in the world’ to stage one such incident the night before she was due to go on the James Corden show, as happened in May 2016.
The evidence of abuse was ‘absolutely overwhelming’, Rottenborn said.
Rottenborn urged the jury not to send a message to abuse victims that ‘no matter what you do as an abuse victim you always have to do more’.
By finding for Depp they would tell victims that ‘no matter how honest you are about your own imperfection in a relationship you need to be perfect in order for people to believe you’.
Rottenborn said that Heard’s op-ed was ‘not a hit piece’ and that Heard took advice from her lawyer at the ACLU.
By contrast Depp used his lawyer Adam Waldman as an ‘attack dog’ to spread lies about Heard.
Depp has already lost a libel case in London at the High Court in 2020 when a judge ruled the claim he was a ‘wife beater’ was ‘substantially true’.
Rottenborn said: It’s time to tell Mr. Depp this was his last chance. Tell him to move on with his life, tell him to let Amber move on with her life.
‘Stand up for freedom of speech. This trial is about so much more than Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, it’s about freedom of speech, stand up for it, and protect it.’
