So, both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had their post-verdict social media posts ready. Heard’s dropped on Twitter less than five minutes after her team polled the jury and the judge dismissed everyone. Needless to say, there’s a lot to unpack but we’ll stick to the major points.
Opinion: Let’s Look at the Post-Trial Statement from Amber Heard
The Aquaman star started off her statement by expressing how disappointed and heartbroken she was “that the mountain of evidence still wasn’t enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.”
Which makes you wonder if she actually thought that these “recollections” would stick if she threw enough of them at the wall. She was aware of Depp’s appeal and that the public would side more with them than here because he’s a darling of everyone.
There are multiple generations who grew up with Depp on television and on the big screen. He has the stroke and he has the hearts of the public for the most part but his “power, influence, and sway” didn’t torpedo her $100 million gambit. You could say she left it all on the dance floor but her testimony wasn’t that convincing and Depp was simply more charming by being humble. Those are optics.
What she claimed was horrible and totally the definition of a toxic relationship that would’ve required better decision-making on her part if it was that terrible. Most of us watching were like “Ehh, did all of this actually happen, though? It’s awful but…”
It can also be that it was all too much to be believed. She painted Depp as someone who should be underneath the prison and penniless. However, the jury didn’t buy it.
The Rest of This
Moving on, she speaks about this verdict setting women being believed back and domestic violence being taken seriously. I can’t speak on what this means for women but just because she lost doesn’t mean this is a grave setback.
While the claims were serious and the stakes were sky-high, this case was viewed as entertainment by everyone who wasn’t on the gallery side of the bar. This was never going to be a landmark case that changed everything.
https://twitter.com/realamberheard/status/1532083776741842945
For Amber Heard to think this was going to be a major turning point and to put on that performance on the stand is just wild. We’ll skip the third paragraph in her statement because UK court decisions don’t apply in the U.S in cases like this. “In the United Kingdom they said…” doesn’t mean anything in a completely different jurisdiction–that happens to be a whole country with its own federal, state, and municipal laws.
Heard closes with how sad she that she lost but that she is “sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American—to speak freely and openly.” First off, these are privileges, not rights. They can be taken away at any time if you violate others’ privileges to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If they were truly God-given rights, they would be bulletproof and Heard would’ve dunked on Depp three ways from Sunday lethargic, questionable testimony and all.
With that said, Heard exercised her—let’s just go with “rights” in this case—right to speak openly and freely. That right is to protect us from the government stepping on our freedom of speech. It doesn’t give us the right to speak freely, paint someone in a horrible light without strong proof, and prance in a field of flowers free and enriched.
If you make claims against a person and they take offense to said claims, they can take you to court. You will have to prove your claims and if the jury says that you didn’t prove them—that’s points against you. You dropped the ball or…sh*t the bed.
In any case, let us know your thoughts on Amber Heard’s statements and on the trial and verdict overall. Also, with the speed at which she posted her reaction to the verdict, would you like to see what her victory post looked like?
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