aAfter weeks of accusations on both sides and secrets revealed, as well as some intimate details remembered, Libel trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard It is up to a Virginia jury to decide whether either side is liable for the millions in damages, with closing arguments set for May 27.
Seven jurors overseeing the Fairfax trial will decide whether Heard, 36, slandered Depp, 58, when she wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post in 2018, identifying herself as a “public figure who represents domestic violence.” The jury will also decide whether the actress should be tried for millions in damages.
Could Amber Heard go to prison?
Because she does not face any criminal charges, only civil lawsuits, Heard is not in danger of imprisonment.
Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard over an opinion piece in an English newspaper, alleging that the script damaged his reputation and career, as well as costing him tens of millions.
For her part, Heard accused Depp of assaulting her dozens of times, in response to the actress saying that she was the abusive in their relationship, as well as filing a $100 million anti-defamation lawsuit, alleging that Depp was leading a “slander campaign”. to destroy her life.
Among the possible outcomes of this trial, there is the possibility that the jury will decide that neither Depp nor Heard should be awarded damages, according to a source close to Heard’s legal team.
Even if Heard does not have to respond to Depp’s case, she will be entitled to recover the cost of her legal fees from Depp.
What would happen if Depp won the lawsuit?
But if Depp proves successful in this lawsuit, it will be a powerful message that will make others want to follow in Heard’s footsteps.
“Anytime a defamation lawsuit is successful, it has a chilling effect on speech. There has always been a chilling effect for victims to come forward and speak out against institutions, entities, or people of power because they feel their world may be collapsing,” said Halim Dhanidina, a criminal defense attorney and former judge in California, For The New York Post.
If the ruling is in Depp’s favour, “I’m sure there are people who would think twice before making statements if those statements would expose them to legal liability…the ruling would have a frightening effect one way or another and no matter what the ruling is.”
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