On Wednesday, a seven-person jury in Fairfax County dominated largely in Depp’s favor, agreeing with the actor that Heard harmed his standing when she wrote a 2018 Washington Publish op-ed (which did not title Depp) that said she grew to turn into a public decide representing dwelling abuse, two years after she had filed for divorce and a restraining order. In addition to, the jury found that Depp, by his lawyer Adam Waldman, defamed Heard in one among three statements that often called her accusations a hoax and awarded her $2 million.
Bredehoft said that Heard was “heartbroken” after the choice. “One in all many first points she said is, ‘I am so sorry to all these girls available on the market,’ ” the lawyer said, together with that the choice sends “a horrible message.”
“It’s a setback, a giant setback … till you pull out your cellphone and likewise you video your associate or your necessary completely different beating you, efficiently, you’ll not be believed,” she said.
Guthrie recognized that Heard’s approved crew was able to current the jury proof they said demonstrated abuse, from the actress’s testimony to images and paperwork. “The jury rejected it,” Guthrie said.
Bredehoft responded that Depp’s crew “demonized” Heard and suppressed proof. She said Heard’s authorized professionals weren’t allowed to tell the jury that Depp misplaced a libel case within the UK in 2020 in the direction of the British tabloid the Photo voltaic, which the actor sued after a headline often called him a “partner beater” and a determine found enough proof to help Heard’s claims about 12 conditions of dwelling abuse.
“They’ve been able to suppress the medical data, which have been very, crucial, because of they confirmed a pattern going all the easiest way once more to 2012 of Amber reporting this to her therapist, for example. We had necessary amount of texts, along with from Mr. Depp’s assistant, saying ‘As soon as I suggested him he kicked you, he cried, he is so sorry.’ That didn’t can be found in,” Bredehoft said. “Quite a few points have been allowed on this court docket docket that should not have been allowed and it triggered the jury to be confused.”
On “CBS Mornings,” Bredehoft talked to Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson; King well-known that they reached out to Depp’s approved crew, who declined to be interviewed. Dokoupil launched up that approved analysts have been shocked by the choice. (It’s sometimes considered less complicated to indicate libel inside the UK than within the US.)
“On this case the jury not solely didn’t take into account Amber Heard, nevertheless in ruling that she acted with exact malice, I suggest, had the intent to set off harm, correct?” he said. “That may be a fairly extreme customary to have confirmed.”
Bredehoft responded that one concern was the cameras inside the courtroom, one factor Depp’s crew had requested and Heard’s authorized professionals have been in the direction of. “So not solely did we have a gaggle of Depp followers which have been there day by day — 100 have been allowed in, they lined up at 1 o’clock inside the morning for his or her wristbands to be in that courtroom — nevertheless we had each little factor on digicam, and we had giant social media that was very, very, very loads in the direction of Amber.”
Although the jury was suggested repeatedly to not study one thing in regards to the case, Bredehoft said, “they’ve weekends, they’ve households, they’ve social media.” Bredehoft moreover talked in regards to the 10-day break inside the trial because of the determine wanted to attend a conference. “How would possibly they not have been influenced?”
Burleson suggested Bredehoft that he’s a former NFL participant, and “After a tricky loss, it’s simple to stand up and stage to the other aspect. Oftentimes, I observed the upper issue to do was to look inside the mirror,” he said. “Do you feel equivalent to you guys made any errors alongside the easiest way? Do you feel like Amber made a mistake whereas she was on the stand?”
“You notice, Amber even said on the stand, ‘I am not good, I am a human being.’ These people have been giving her dying threats. They threatened to microwave her little one. That’s the type of social media she was getting,” Bredehoft said. “So are any of us good? No. Is there one factor else we actually really feel we should all the time have executed? Positive. . . . I on a regular basis redo my closings 100 events afterwards, whether or not or not I win or lose. That is part of being an outstanding lawyer, an outstanding trial lawyer — there’s on a regular basis one factor.”
Nonetheless, she added, “I really feel that there have been quite a few influences proper right here which have been previous our administration.”