VERDICT WATCH VA - Johnny Depp's defamation case against ex Amber Heard, who countersued #10

[Brooke]

YAAAAWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNN!!!! I want to claw my ears off listening to this guy.

I hate to admit it, but periodically I have to mute him. Just can't sit still and listen to him, NOT because my conscience is seared, but because he is perpetuating a LIE, and encouraging the jury to do the same.

 

[wasnt_me]

I wouldn't be surprised if this ended in a hung jury.

Why?

 

[Allabouttrial]

Sky News

'Just because he wants to make the article about himself, doesn't mean it is'

Amber Heard's lawyer Ben Rottenborn says the key question jurors have to consider is whether the actress had the right to write what she did in the Washington Post in 2018.

Mr Rottenborn says that "you cannot simultaneously protect and uphold the First Amendment (on free speech) and find in favour of Johnny Depp".

The lawyer takes the jury back once again to the article, showing them the version that appeared in print.

He tells the jury that it is Depp's burden to prove several elements in this trial, and if he cannot then Heard wins.

But jurors do not have to decide whether or not Depp committed abuse, he says.

He addresses the three allegedly defamatory statements in Heard's article, which the court also heard from Depp's team earlier today.

"Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out."

"I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse."

I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change (the headline, which Heard did not write)

Mr Rottenborn tells jurors to read the article and think of its purpose, which was to promote legislative measures designed to protect victims of domestic abuse - people who did what Heard did, "speak out".

The lawyer says these statements have to be false for Depp to win this case.

He says this would have been "a very different article" if Heard had written about what she "suffered".

"Just because he wants to make the article about himself, doesn't mean it is," Mr Rottenborn says.

 

[Luna20]

I wish Ben would say that the only person who testified about seeing JD physically hit Amber was Whitney. No one else.

 

[rebelchild]

Obviously this guy has never sent a scathing email or text to their buddy sure glad mine aren't being shown .. they'd possibly make JD look like a saint

 

[BUF]

I truly have a hard time focusing and being engaged in this trial when this specific attorney is speaking. He doesn't come across as "invested" in this client or the outcome of this case. He seems - disconnected. His mouth is making noises but they don't feel like he is passionate or believes himself what he is seeing. Maybe it's just his manner of speaking or he is just nervous, maybe he is just no good in front of juries. sigh.

Robotic?

 

[Cindizzi]

05.27 - Special Verdict Form - JD.pdf

drive.google.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1530210863520489472

 

[rebelchild]

ooop here comes the monster

 

[whitelilac]

I must have missed the evidence that Depp "slapped Amber across the face three times"

 

[gloomy]

Here we go with the texts again. BTW Elton John helped JD get sober.

 

[wasnt_me]

ooop here comes the monster

I'm not interested in any text JD sent anyone else that wasn't Amber.

 

[wasnt_me]

Here we go with the texts again. BTW Elton John helped JD get sober.

I think Elton tried to help George Michael, too, and their friendship ended over it. Sad.

 

[Sulamith]

I abused my kitchen counter once when I found out I had been betrayed.

 

[Kiranerys]

Listening to AH's defense atty closing, I ask myself: Is this the best they have?

Agreed. If I was a juror who had just listened to CV and BC and their amazing closing,speaking about all the non photo evidence etc and then I was listening to Rottenborn banging on about these alleged incidents of violence I would check out.

 

[Shelby1]

Maybe karma will kick in and do some breath taking from Mr. Rotten.

 

[tlcya]

I think this was when his mom died right? The cabinet abuse video?

Yeah, nothing happened to you this morning.

ETA that was February 10, 2016 JD's mom died on May 20th. So how I take this video is that something happened to JD that was very upsetting that morning. Possibly related to his mother's final illness.

Now listening to Rottonborn (sp?) claim she didn't release the video to TMZ. He is actually doing so with a straight face.

 

[whitelilac]

" I just woke up" she says. But didn't set up the camera for this cabinet scene?

 

[Katharine]

I cannot listen to Miss Heard's team present their summation case to the jury. I just cannot. Not after Miss Vasquez and Mr. Chew. I became teary eyed and emotional at the end. Wow!!!! Justice for Johnny Depp!! IMHO.

 

[wasnt_me]

I abused my kitchen counter once when I found out I had been betrayed.

This video means nothing to me after she set it up to film, snickered on the way out, and TMZ testified that she used it to anonymously expose him.

She wasn't even there when he was doing that. It was not toward her. I heard testimony that she was at another house, walked across the street to film this. So I hope the jury remembers that she wasn't even supposed to be in the house.

 

[gloomy]

Not the video... ''did something happen to you? I don't think so''. AH it had nothing to do with you! His frustration, the kicking etc... he is even avoiding AH. You're so vain... she is not afraid in that video imo.