Amber Heard faced brutal attacks and harassment on the internet during the “discrediting” lawsuit filed in the USA by her ex-wife Johnny Depp, whom she accused of domestic violence. It is said that this toxic air created now can deter those who are preparing to go to court on domestic violence.
The Virginia trial jury voted in favor of Johnny Depp on Wednesday, ruling that Amber Heard had discredited Depp—even though he was not named—by describing himself as “a public figure who symbolizes domestic violence” in a 2018 article.
Seven jurors decided that Heard should pay Depp $10 million in damages, while dismissing most of Heard’s counterclaims and seeking $2 million in damages for just one complaint.
The decision was taken by surprise by some lawyers, as Johnny Depp lost a similar case in England two years ago.
For Amber Heard, this decision meant the rejection of almost everything she said.
The famous 58-year-old actor, Depp, has denied allegations that his ex-wife has suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse multiple times during their five-year relationship.
With its verdict this week, the jury ruled that the allegations were not true and found Depp to be right.
Amber Heard, 36, said she was “devastated” after the verdict was announced. His lawyers said they would appeal the decision.
But Heard had already lost in the “public court” before the jury.
During the six-week trial, long before the jury gave its verdict, comments posted online were “considered” that Heard had lied.
He was mocked for his statement, and the hashtags describing him as “sociopath” were among the most shared on Twitter.
In fact, the petition filed with the demand not to play Aquaman 2 has so far been signed by around 4 million 400 thousand.
On TikTok, some couples tried to prove that they were fabrications by reenacting the acts of violence in Heard’s statement.
“I think we have to be very determined to get over this issue. This case has led to a massive amount of harassment against Amber Heard. It’s shocking,” says sociologist Nicole Bedera, expert on sexual violence.
Domestic violence experts like Bedera think that the negative reactions to Heard that were so severe would have implications far beyond this case.
Many experts warn Heard that the extent of online harassment has had a very frightening effect on victims of domestic violence, prompting some to withdraw their complaints.
“There are a lot of victims of domestic violence who will see their own stories in this case. They will be affected too. Many victims from now on will be hesitant to file a complaint,” says Nicole Bedera.
There are already very few complaints
This is a big problem. Because it is known that very few of them are the subject of complaints about domestic violence.
Recent research by the US Department of Justice shows that only two out of every five domestic violence cases, 40 percent, are referred to the police. The application rate of those who have been subjected to violence by their partner is equally low.
“We know that victims weigh rationally when deciding whether or not to file a complaint,” says Alexandra Brodsky, human rights lawyer and author of the book Sexual Justice.
While making this assessment, a victim feels the weight of the fear of not being believed through a painful investigation and judicial process.
Kelly Sundberg, a professor at Ashland University and the author of the biographical book Goodbye Sweet Girl, in which she tells about her own abusive relationship, says that the reactions to Heard clearly demonstrate how realistic all these fears are.
“There’s a reason most people keep quiet about harassment,” he adds.
“Even if Heard had won, this case would have had a horrific impact on the victims because no one wants to be discredited or believed in the way he was subjected to,” Ashland said. speaking.
Nicole Bedera also agrees. “People called Heard a psycho, a liar, a lunatic. They said he was manipulative, that he deserved what happened to him,” she says.
Heard, who is raising his one-year-old daughter alone, said in court during the last week of the trial that he had received “hundreds of death threats regularly, perhaps every day,” while describing the harassment he received from the internet.
‘There was a double standard’
“People want to kill me. They tell me that every day. There are people who want to put my baby in the microwave, they tell me that. It was a very difficult process.”
The court heard some recordings of Heard appearing to be threatening to his ex-partner. In one of the recordings, Heard admits that he “hit” Depp before saying “don’t be a kid”.
In another recording from 2016, Heard can be heard saying, “Announce it to the world, Johnny. Tell everybody, ‘I’m Johnny Depp, I’m a victim of domestic violence too.'”
These recordings were constantly returned to social media as proof that Heard was lying and that he was the main abusive party in this relationship.
But the same questioning didn’t seem to get done much when it came to Depp.
However, it had a basis. One of the many witnesses the court heard was actress Ellen Barkin, Depp’s ex-girlfriend. Barkin claimed that Depp abused drugs and alcohol and was prone to violence. The court also listened to the audio recordings of Depp insulting and cursing Heard, and also saw the messages in which Heard said “I wish you were dead”.
“There was definitely a double standard,” Nicole Bedera says.
“Johnny Depp was also saying terrible things. He had messages about killing and raping Amber Heard. Many people immediately said it was ‘just a joke,'” she adds.
Experts also fear that Johnny Depp’s legal procedure, namely his filing of “discrediting” lawsuits, will set an example for harassers.
‘**This case was not a harassment case**’
“One thing that has completely disappeared in the court-related news is that this case was not Heard’s lawsuit against Depp for a harassment complaint. It was a lawsuit filed by Depp for ‘saying he was harassed’ without even giving his name,” Alexandra Brodsky says.
Brodsky explains that a growing number of lawyers and public relations consultants are guiding young men accused of sexual assault on how to clear their names. “A big part of that is ‘discreditation’ lawsuits. Or at least the threat of litigation. We’re seeing this strategy take off.” says.
After six weeks of hearings in this case, the jury unanimously ruled that Amber Heard had tarnished Johnny Depp’s reputation with an article published in the Washington Post in 2018, justifying the argument that he was not a de facto abusive.
But compensation lawsuits for “discrediting” are “very dangerous,” according to Brodsky, when used as a propaganda strategy by perpetrators of harassment.
“The truth is that no matter how the case ends, Depp would be a ‘hero’ in the eyes of the public. I’m really worried that this will set a precedent.”
On the other hand, Brodsky thinks that such examples will deter victims of violence.
“Anyone who’s seen their friends, schoolmates, or famous person in a ‘discredit’ lawsuit will say, ‘I don’t want to go through this.'”