Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
This is how the jury perceived the process
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard after their trial.
© imago/ZUMA Wire / imago/MediaPunch
Now, for the first time, a juror in the Depp and Heard trial has commented on their credibility and the jury’s approach.
The public trial between Johnny Depp (59) and Amber Heard (36) has made headlines for weeks. A juror now reports the jury’s view of the case and trial.
The juror described Heard’s tears during the hearing on the show “Good Morning America” as “Crocodile Tears”: “It didn’t come across as believable. It seemed like she was able to flip a switch on her emotions. She answered a question while crying and two seconds later she was freezing again. It didn’t seem natural.”
The juror is the first and only person to comment on the trial, but doesn’t want his name in the media. According to him, Heard’s credibility not only suffered from her behavior during the statements.
“It was disingenuous”
“The fact is, she didn’t reveal much at all,” the juror said. “It was disingenuous.” He also accused Heard’s legal team of giving her bad advice — like looking directly at the jury when answering the questions. “We all felt very uncomfortable,” he said.
Heard was viewed by the majority of the jury as the aggressor in the relationship, the judge said. So he wonders why she gave Depp, whom she portrayed as aggressive, a knife. Or, “If she really wanted to help Johnny Depp get off drugs, why was she doing drugs around him?”
Skepticism in dealing with witness statements
The jury also stated that the jury was very skeptical of the evidence and witnesses presented. The jury would have rejected all statements by employees, relatives or friends. As were the expert opinions paid for by either party.
The jury goes on to say that none of the judges were fans of either of the actors. He also denied being influenced by social media. “The allegations were very serious and involved a lot of money, so we didn’t take it lightly.”
Heard fined $10.35 million
Heard published an article in the Washington Post in 2018 in which she wrote about being a victim of domestic violence. Although she did not mention Depp’s name at the time, the Hollywood star sued her for $ 50 million (about 46.7 million euros) in damages. In his opinion, his career suffered greatly as a result of the publication of the article.
The jury found Amber Heard guilty of defamation. The penalty was $15 million, but due to laws in Virginia, where the trial took place, Heard is only fined $10.35 million. Depp was also fined $2 million. The jury found that a former lawyer for Depp slandered the actress.