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The lawyer for Amber Heard believes that the jury was “confused” following their decision to support Johnny Depp in his ex-wife’s defamation case.
The jury has found both of them, Depp and Heard, guilty of defamation, but the jury decided to award more damages to Depp than to Heard, which her lawyer found unfair.
Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, Heard’s lawyer, said, “That’s because she was demonized here. A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused.”
In a separate interview, Bredehoft expressed disappointment over the verdict and explained that the jury might have been unknowingly influenced by Depp’s “wealth, power, and fame.”
“I think that made a huge difference in this case. But it also said we’re not going to believe women even when they have photos,” the lawyer said. “Basically, unless she had pulled out her phone, her iPhone and videotaped him as he was beating her, she’s not going to be believed, it didn’t happen.”
Meanwhile, Depp has expressed his thanks to many supporters who have been there along the way. He said in a statement, “From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
Bredehoft went on to say that in the courtroom, she felt like it became a “coliseum” due to the many Depp fans coming in to see the hearings.
“I think some of it had to do with the amount of social media that was involved, the cameras in the courtroom,” she said. “The fact that they had 100 Depp fans in there every day, it was like a coliseum as opposed to a dignified courtroom. I think all of those things had a negative influence here that caused this to be much more challenging and much more difficult.”
“But reality is social media is everywhere, it was all over the TVs the radios, the internet, everywhere. It was really hard to block that out. And since it was so vitriolic to Amber, I think it made it a lot more difficult,” she said.
In all of it, Bredehoft was confident that they could take the case further by filing an appeal.
“I don’t question the judge’s fairness. I think she’s a very good judge, I’ve known her for a long time. That doesn’t mean that I don’t question rulings and I do question rulings in this case.”
