Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard: The Only Unbiased Account of The Trial & Evidence (Prime Crime)

Summary

Law&Crime host Jesse Weber recaps the 2022 defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, explaining the competing lawsuits, major disputes in the testimony, and the jury’s verdict.

Depp sued Heard for $50 million over her 2018 Washington Post op-ed, arguing that it falsely implied he had abused her and damaged his career and reputation. Heard countersued for $100 million, claiming that statements by Depp’s attorney Adam Waldman—calling her abuse allegations a hoax and saying an incident had been staged—defamed her.

The report traces the couple’s relationship from their meeting while filming The Rum Diary through their marriage and breakup. Heard testified that Depp’s substance use and anger led to physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse. She cited text messages, recordings, and injuries she said she had concealed with makeup. Depp denied abusing her and described Heard as the aggressor, saying she hit, shoved, or threw objects at him and that he often tried to withdraw from arguments. Both sides offered different interpretations of recordings of their arguments, including a kitchen video.

Disputed incidents

• Australia, 2015: Depp said Heard threw a bottle that injured his finger. Heard gave a different account, alleging that he injured it while attacking her. Medical experts disagreed about whether the injury was consistent with Depp’s account.
• Alleged confrontation involving Heard’s sister: Heard said Depp struck her sister and that she intervened. Depp and another witness described events differently. Supermodel Kate Moss, mentioned in testimony in connection with a staircase, denied that Depp had ever pushed or thrown her down stairs.
• May 2016: Heard said Depp threw a phone at her face, prompting her to seek a restraining order. Depp denied assaulting her. Police and other witnesses said they did not observe visible injuries at the time or in the days afterward, while Heard and witnesses supporting her offered different accounts.

The trial also examined Heard’s mental health and the credibility of both parties’ accounts. Heard’s expert, Dr. Dawn Hughes, said her reported experiences were consistent with intimate-partner violence and PTSD. Depp’s expert, Dr. Shannon Curry, said Heard did not have PTSD and diagnosed borderline and histrionic personality disorders. The report also discusses Heard’s claim of sexual assault, which Depp denied, and actress Ellen Barkin’s testimony about her past relationship with him.

Other evidence concerned the couple’s divorce, Heard’s pledge to donate her settlement to charity, the ACLU’s involvement in developing the op-ed, and whether Heard or her team had alerted TMZ to her restraining-order filing or provided media with a video of Depp. Heard denied arranging those disclosures.

On damages, Depp’s side argued that the op-ed cost him film work; Heard’s side said his conduct and reputation were responsible for his career decline. Warner Bros. executive Walter Hamada testified that concerns about chemistry with Heard’s Aquaman co-star affected casting discussions.

Verdict and reactions

After deliberating for nearly 13 hours, the jury found for Depp on all three statements in the op-ed and awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Heard prevailed on one counterclaim concerning Waldman’s statement that she and her friends staged an incident, receiving $2 million in compensatory damages and no punitive damages.

Depp said the verdict gave him his life back. Heard said she was disappointed and feared it represented a setback for women who speak out. Weber closes by noting that the case drew enormous public attention while raising serious questions about domestic violence, mental health, substance use, and the treatment of allegations in court and in the media.

Participants and contributors

• Presenter: Jesse Weber
• Featured trial participants and contributors: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Adam Waldman, Whitney Heard, Ben King, Ellen Barkin, Dr. Dawn Hughes, Dr. Shannon Curry, Kate Moss, and Walter Hamada