On Wednesday, when I was waiting for my son’s school bus, messages started pouring in on my phone. As a divorce coach and abuse victim advocate, I know a lot of women who were harassed by a jury with Johnny Depp in a defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
“The Best Actor award in a defamation trial goes to Johnny Depp for fooling the jury, the judge, the media, and the court of the public,” one woman in divorce proceedings with a high-conflict partner told me. She, like many other customers, was annoyed that Depp gets $15 million verdict Because Hurd did 2018. was written in Op-Ed in The Washington Post That she was “a public figure representing domestic abuse” and that “in real time, it was a rare vantage point to see how institutions protect men accused of abuse.” (Though she never named Depp, it was widely regarded as referring to him; she has denied all allegations of abuse.)
As the pace of reform continues to accelerate in our family court system, this celebrity trial brought the sweeping power dynamic behind closed doors directly into our living rooms.
I was stunned by the result, too—but I don’t see the verdict as an outright victory as one of Depp’s triumphant scenes in “Pirates of the Caribbean.” And it’s not just because Heard also got a ruling in her favor: $2 million for Depp’s attorney’s claim that the actress organized an ambush for the police to implicate Depp.
The biggest disadvantage to Depp is that he can never save his reputation. He claimed that his image was destroyed by Heard’s op-ed, but the real destruction actually came through revelations made at trial. Despite the male star’s fan base, many people will never see their beloved character Captain Jack the same way again – if he ever will. allowed to reprise the role,
“Even when you win, you lose,” Domenic Romano, a top business and entertainment attorney in New York City, told me. “It may be a legal victory, but it’s not really a prestigious victory, and certainly not a moral victory for Johnny Depp or society at large.”
Romano credits Depp’s team for convincing the jury that he was more reliable than herd – is sufficient to reach the high legal standard of defamation (“actual malice”) that applies to public figures.
But it came at a high price. “I thought this whole thing was a terrible idea for her. I mean how do you look good?” Romano asked, citing dirty laundry broadcast in London, where Depp Defamation case against The Sun newspaper To call her a “wife beater”. Then, Romano said, Depp proceeded to “bring it back on edge” with the trial in a Virginia court.
That laundry had an image of Deppo writing hate messages on the wall in your own bloodhis texts are saying that he hopes Hurd’s “rotting corpse rotting in the f—ing trunk of a Honda Civic” And his drug use,
Heard didn’t come as an angel, of course, Since he admitted to killing Deppo and don’t donate your everything divorce settlement for charity as promised. But, he The social media frenzy surrounding her stumbling took her own life – Complete with TikTok videos making fun of Heard with “Turd” emojis and champion Depp like he was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The fact that so many Americans find joy in the suffering people have in their domestic pain. Many survivors of abuse are now concerned that Depp’s court victory is undermining the #MeToo movement and scaring them back into the cave of silence.
“Survivors of domestic violence have been turned back decades,” said Tina Switin, who founded One Mom Battle. Later A legal war with her ex. “The message that was sent clearly and clearly is that if you are the victim of abuse, you must remain silent about what you have endured or you will have the wrath of public opinion, and the perpetrators. As you can be further abused. Now weaponize the judicial system.”
But I think it will mobilize women like never before. As the pace of reform continues to accelerate in our family court system, this celebrity trial brought the sweeping power dynamic behind closed doors directly into our living rooms. People across America saw what those of us who have escaped the family court system face every day: power in the hands of men, buying money. large legal teams, charming narcissists and decision-makers who don’t see through the five-star performance of a manipulator. We cannot let one fight decide the war.
“In the larger plan, I don’t think it will supersede the MeToo movement,” agreed Romano. He added that most defamation cases don’t involve people already in the limelight, and that accusers would think twice about damaging their reputations like Depp. “People will see that prosecuting personal relationships is not a good idea. Victims will continue to be properly encouraged to come forward.”
Romano calls it a classic”Pyrrhic victory” – A victory that inflicts such a horrific toll that it is more or less a defeat. If you haven’t read your Greek mythology lately, it comes from the story of Pyrrhus of Epirus who was involved in devastating, costly battles with the Romans. Essentially, victory at any cost ultimately means defeat.
Don’t get me wrong – most victims of emotional and physical abuse just don’t feel motivated. And many people like me are angry.
But we have two choices: Either back away from the fear, or use the matter as an opportunity to educate others. More Domestic Violence Laws — Like My State of Connecticut’s Groundbreaking Jennifer’s Law Family court cases—which took effect last October—are expanding to increase emotional abuse, such as issuing restraining orders and “coercive control” in decision-making. The problem is, as things stand, many lawyers, judges, and regular Americans who sit on the jury don’t recognize it when they see it. This matter may be what ultimately makes sense about this dynamic.
coercive control There is a form of psychological harm that can include manipulation, financial abuse, legal abuse and using children as pawns. If you don’t recognize this insidious game, then yes, Heard can seem crazy and terrifying in his reactions. She may not be our favorite victim, but the question is, why does she have to be?
Hurd has vowed to appeal, though Romano said there must be new evidence or testimony, or an error in the trial, important for him to be successful.
In the meantime, the rest of us will be busy. We have to remember that not every tough struggle in our country was a straight line – like a rollercoaster. strap in.