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Johnny Depp Will Likely Lose His $50M Defamation Case

The legalities won’t protect him from the reality of the case.

The trial hasn’t gone well for Amber thus far.

Candidly, it’s been the mother of all PR nightmares. Yet if you assume it’s game over for Amber’s case, you are woefully wrong.

The evidence against Amber

Eight days ago, a recording was played in court of Amber Heard saying, “I’m not punching you, I’m hitting you.” She then loses her temper and shouts (at Depp), “Calm down. You are such a f##king baby!”

Bodyguards and drivers have come forward saying they saw Heard hitting Depp and throwing things at him.

Her character is also being called into question on numerous fronts.

For example, in the wake of her divorce from Johnny, she pledged she would donate $7 million to charity, including $3.5 million to the ACLU. Yesterday, an ACLU representative testified that only $1.3 million was donated, and $500,000 of it came from a charity with Elon Musk’s name on it.

Notably, Depp accused Heard of cheating on him with Musk and dating him while they were supposed to be working on their relationship.

The Amber Heard feeding frenzy

The trial seems to have struck a chord with men in particular. Many have come forward saying they were abused by their wife or girlfriend, and that they faced false abuse allegations that ruined their life.

The case is certainly a reversal of the common abuse dynamic.

It features a much more powerful older man, claiming he was the victim, and producing substantial evidence to prove it.

Amber recorded many of their interactions while the two were in couples therapy. The tapes are something to behold. It is the worst of a toxic relationship, with two people at their lowest, on display for the world.

It’s hard not to think Amber is blackmailing Depp in some of the recordings. She tries to get him to say he did things to her while he is unknowingly being recorded.

As witness after witness testifies about Amber hitting Depp, cameras switch between the witness and zooming in on Amber’s face. If I were her agent, I’d be shuddering.

Part of me relates to this case. I’ve been in a toxic relationship. I dated a woman who thought it was OK to hit me because I was a guy and stronger.

Amber clearly has a wicked temper and fights dirty. But it won’t prove Depp’s case.

Here’s the problem and the rude awakening

The trial has been a complete circus.

One witness started smoking a vape and driving his car during his video deposition. Amber’s defense attorney objected to one of his own questions.

Underneath every court video, is a mob of commenters tearing Amber to shreds, rejoicing in her destruction.

Amber surely deserves criticism but don’t kid yourself into thinking Johnny Depp is an angel. And don’t let the mob vigilantism give you false confidence that he is winning this case.

Depp is a much more massive star. Idolatry is part of this feeding frenzy.

Remember: We’ve only been hearing one side.

Amber will get her turn to present her defense and, given she is the one doing all the recordings, you can be damn sure there is substantial evidence of Depp’s abuse.

Depp was high as a kite and drunk for years. He was acting out of character and lashing out.

I lived in southern California for years and one of my friends works in film production. He was on the set of the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie and said Depp was an absolute handful: intoxicated, volatile, constantly late. His fights with Heard were probably just the final straw to him getting fired.

There’s also a long slew of violent text messages we already know about, including “I can only hope that Karma kicks in and takes the gift of breath from her.”

The police were called to their residence several times because of domestic disputes.

More importantly, defamation is extremely hard to prove in courts. If Heard can prove that she was ever hit, there isn’t a strong case that she defamed him. Truth is her ally.

This is especially so because she didn’t name Depp explicitly in the article. Depp’s defamation case was already defeated once and quite easily in UK courts.

It doesn’t matter who did the most abuse or who had the “highest score”. If it happened, it counts.

That being said — if Depp’s goal is to get PR and raise awareness of the abuse he’s endured, he’s been wildly successful. It may well revive his career and lift him out of his acting grave.

We are seeing a more vulnerable side of Depp as he expresses the pain he’s endured and the addictions he’s had to fight. Unsurprisingly, he knows how to perform on camera. And the public is lapping it up.

But the odds of him winning this defamation case are slim. It seems abundantly obvious that hands, insults, and even cigarettes, were being thrown in both directions.

The problem with Heard’s op-ed on abuse is that she was a very active participant in the abuse as well. Generally, it’s just a bad idea to hit anyone, regardless of who is what gender.

Lastly, I’m a glass is half full guy — and I don’t like playing the who is the villain and who is the good guy game. Ultimately, I hope both Heard and Depp grow and learn.

The most bitter and painful experiences are the ones that ultimately teach us the most.

It’s as the saying goes, “The pain stops when it is done teaching you.”

It must be difficult seeing a relationship, which was once a beautiful and loving thing, go down such a dark path.