Heard’s Lawyers Show The ‘Monster In The Flesh’ During Closing Statement As $50m Defamation Trial Goes To Jury

Closing arguments have now been made for Johnny Depp’s $50m defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard. 

Depp’s legal team were first up to give their closing arguments, followed by Heard’s legal team.

Addressing the court today (27 May), Heard’s attorney, J. Benjamin Rottenborn, played a clip filmed by Heard that showed Depp loudly smashing kitchen cupboards while drunk, which he introduced by saying: "Let's see the monster in the flesh."

Rottenborn began Heard's team’s closing argument by telling the jury: “Think about the message that Mr Depp and his attorneys are sending to Amber and every victim of domestic abuse everywhere.”

He continued: “In Mr Depp’s world, you don’t leave Mr Depp. And if you do, he will start a campaign of global humiliation against you. He will do everything he can to destroy your life, to destroy your career.”

Rottenborn then took the courtroom through Heard’s 2018 Washington Post op-ed, which is at the centre of Depp’s defamation trial.

While Heard did not mention the Pirates of the Caribbean actor by name, Depp argued that her claim of being 'a public figure representing domestic abuse' implied he was the alleged abuser.

Rottenborn said: “Does the first amendment give Miss Heard the right to write what she wrote in this article in 2018? You have to decide: should someone be able to write an article like that in America without being sued.”

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Rottenborn also read aloud a vile text exchange between Depp and actor Paul Bettany, in which Depp wrote: “Let's burn Amber! Let's drown her before we burn her! Will f**k her burnt corpse afterward to make sure she's dead.”

Rottenborn told the jury: “These words are a window into the heart and mind of America’s favourite pirate. This is the real Johnny Depp.

“Mr Depp in this courtroom is laughing and making snide remarks as this video is being played.”

Depp is seeking $50 million (£38.2 million) in damages, and Heard has countersued for $100 million (£793,780).

Referring to Heard’s op-ed, Judge Azcarate said jurors must read the entire article and can't seize on any ‘one word, phrase or image’.

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In order to side with Depp, jurors must find that Heard acted with knowledge that the statement was false.

Heard’s lawsuit centres around her claim that Depp defamed her via statements made to the press by Waldman, his attorney. 

As for Heard’s move to countersue, Azcarate said in order for the jury to reach a favourable verdict for Heard, they must determine the statements made by Adam Waldman were done so with actual malice.

It was in those statements that Waldman called Heard’s allegations a ‘hoax’ and an ‘ambush’ orchestrated by Heard and her friends.

Now that each side has summarised their case, jury deliberations will begin in Virginia and are expected to stretch into next week.

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Topics: Amber Heard, Johnny Depp

Aisha Nozari

@aishanozari