01x03 - The Viral Verdict

[bunniefuu]

[suspenseful music plays]

[man] I don't know
what to make of this case,

and I seem to have spent half my life
listening to these two in courtrooms.

It's hard to understand why someone
that is supposed to love you

could be that cruel.

He just kicked me

in the back.

I don't know who to believe.

It... It didn't happen.

[Morgan] I don't know
how much of it is true.

They're two actors.

You can really just feel
how much of a psychopath this woman is!

Jury deliberations are underway

in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
defamation trial.

[Darthn ws] I've never been
this nervous for a verdict.

- [woman ] ...a TikTok trial.
- [woman ] Why are we all so fascinated?

Because they're famous,
because of the details?

[man ] I think it's all of the above.

[Limor] Jury trials are supposed
to focus on law and facts.

[chortles]

[man ] The jury hears
what's submitted into evidence.

[Heard] I don't see him anymore.

- [clattering]
- You are such a baby! Grow the f*ck up!

You've got the wrong girl.

[man ] What didn't the jury see?

[woman ] Forty-five documents
were unsealed by Judge Penney.

- Good morning.
- [woman ] This is so wild.

A girl could get used to this.

[man ] What wasn't allowed
during the course of this trial?

Have a feeling
we will see each other again.

[dramatic music plays]

[Azcarate] Thank you,
ladies and gentlemen. You may be seated.

All right, your next witness.

[Rottenborn] Your Honor,
defendant calls Amber Heard.

[Azcarate] A reminder,
Ms. Heard, you're still under oath.

- Of course, Your Honor. Thank you.
- Thank you. All right, your question?

How have you suffered publicly?

Objection, speculation.

[Azcarate] Overruled.

I am harassed...

[woman through megaphone]
Amber's a liar. Amber's...

[man] That's Amber.

[crowd booing and jeering]

[ominous droning music plays]

...humiliated...

[Heard] I was just sitting there
on this... on... on this carpet,

looking at the dirty carpet,

wondering how I wound up on this carpet.

...threatened every single day.

People want to k*ll me.

People want to put
my baby in the microwave,

and they tell me that.

[Vasquez] What has it been like
for you to listen

to Ms. Heard's testimony at this trial?

[Depp] It's...

It's insane

to hear

heinous accusations of v*olence,

sexual v*olence,

that she's attributed to me,
that she's accused me of.

This is horrible.

This is painful.

And this is humiliating
for any human being to go through.

And perhaps it's easy to forget that,

but I'm a human being.

Brutal.

Cruel.

Um...

and all... false.

All false.

[Heard sobs] I just want Johnny
to leave me alone.

I just want him to leave me alone.

[woman] I just find the whole thing
uncomfortable to watch.

- I haven't plugged into it at all.
- Oh, then you can't say anything.

I don't really wanna see
such intimate detail of...

It is a bit of sort of dirty...
dirty laundry, isn't it?

- Yeah.
- Yeah, it's like a movie.

Yeah, and these are
really serious allegations here.

But it has become kind of dramatized,
you know, before our very eyes.

The jury has a very, very tough job here
trying to decide who the abuser is,

who the victim is.

I mean, it... it's...
it's really a wild trial here.

It's not just about defamation anymore.

They really have
a big, difficult job here.

[ethereal music plays]

[Dell'olio] There's only one person

to have ever witnessed Johnny
be physically violent with Amber...

- [woman] Hmm.
- [Dell'olio] And it's her little sister.

Whitney Heard.

[Swoop] Today we'll be digging
into all the nitty-gritty

of the staircase incident
with Johnny, Amber,

and her sister, Whitney.

[Dell'olio] This happened
about a week after the Australia incident.

Uh, I believe that this is

from w-w-w-what's been called
the "staircase incident."

I woke up to Amber in my bedroom saying,
"Can you believe he's cheating on me?"

I went down there to talk to him,
and I can tell he's clearly drunk.

I found his iPad open.

He was texting someone.

[sighs] He was texting this woman,

um, that he had had
a sexual relationship with.

I saw that he had gone to her house

after we got married.

Unbelievably painful.

Unbelievably painful.

[Vasquez] Do you recall what Ms. Heard
was upset about at this time?

I do not. I really don't.

Amber and I are on the little mezzanine.

The kitchen's down here,
and the mezzanine's up here.

You know, he's calling her
a "f*cking whore,"

"f*cking c**t," "used-up trash bag."

You know, whatever. They were saying
horrible things to one another.

She was calling him "old and fat."

He bolted up the stairs. [chuckles dryly]

Whitney, her sister, was there, who...

[clears throat]...who stepped in the way.

He comes up behind me,

strikes me in the back
kind of just somewhere over here.

He strikes me in the back,
I hear Amber shout,

"Don't hit my f*cking sister."

Amber snuck in the...

She... reached and got the roundhouse in
and nailed me on the cheek bone.

[camera shutter clicks]

By that time,
Johnny had already grabbed Amber

by the hair with one hand

and was whacking her repeatedly
in the face with the other,

as I was standing there.

[woman] It is the only instance
where a witness, Amber's sister,

is claiming to have
actually witnessed firsthand as*ault

alleged against Johnny Depp.

...grabbed Amber by the hair with one hand

and was whacking her repeatedly
in the face with the other.

I don't hesitate, I don't wait,
I just, in my head, instantly think

of Kate Moss and the stairs.

[dramatic ominous music plays]

[Limor] Amber Heard,
in her direct testimony,

- mentioned Kate Moss.
- [Heard] Kate Moss.

[Limor] One interesting thing
that's happened that, now,

the Internet's going crazy over

is he turned and gave a...
like, did a fist-pump...

- [Heard] Kate Moss.
- [Limor] ...right to his co-counsel.

[Morse] There's a concept in trial law

called "opening the door."

Like, "Maybe there's something
we both agree is irrelevant."

But, on my side of things,
it would help me

and help my case,

but I know I can't bring it up,
because the judge says it's irrelevant,

or it's too prejudicial, or whatever.

[man] Don't say that.

[Heard] Kate Moss and the stairs.

[woman] Johnny Depp picked up
on it first, actually.

He smiled like,
"I can't believe she just said that,"

because it opened the door.

- Yeah.
- Kate Moss was not going to testify.

This was a real pivotal moment

because this allowed
both Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez to say

that there are no other victims
here, right?

[Vasquez] You thought he was gonna throw
your sister down the stairs

like he had thrown Kate Moss
down the stairs, right?

He swung at Whitney,
and I'd heard a rumor,

a vague rumor, about that.

And so it's what I thought of.

If Kate Moss were to come in and say,
"No, Johnny was never physically abusive

or anything to me,"

then that would be a really big,
detrimental thing to Amber's case.

[man on radio] Jurors are told,
"It's your job to evaluate credibility."

And, you know, if you find
someone is lying on one issue,

you can conclude they're liars in general.

[dramatic classical music plays]

[Moss] I know the truth about Johnny.

[cameras clicking]

[Limor] The relationship
between Johnny Depp and Kate Moss.

A lot of people in the media,
back then when they were dating,

it was looked at
as somewhat of a volatile relationship.

Johnny Depp was arrested
for trashing a hotel room.

[Moss] I believe in fairness and justice.

I believe in the truth.

[woman in crowd] Johnny!

[tense droning music plays]

[Azcarate] Good morning,
ladies and gentlemen.

Please be seated. Your next witness.

Good morning, Your Honor.

Um, Mr. Depp calls Kate Moss to the stand.

Thank you, ma'am.
If you could raise your right hand.

Do you swear or affirm
to tell the truth under penalty of law?

- I do.
- [Azcarate] Thank you.

[Chew] For how long, Ms. Moss, were you
and Mr. Depp a romantic couple?

Ninety-four to .

[Chew] What, if anything, happened
when you were in Jamaica with Mr. Depp?

[Moss] We were leaving the room,

and, as I left the room,

I slid down the stairs

and I hurt my back.

Did Mr. Depp push you
in any way down the stairs?

No.

During the course of your relationship,
did he ever push you down any stairs?

No, he never pushed me,

kicked me, or threw me...
[chuckles]...down any stairs.

Thank you, Ms. Moss.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

[tense droning music intensifies]

[Limor] These jurors are supposed
to be listening to every single word

of everything that's going on.

The problem is
they might stop listening to you

because, at that moment,
they no longer find you credible.

That moment was very damaging
for Amber Heard.

Don't know what the jury is thinking,

but if it's a credibility game,

which it is,

they may have tuned out
to the rest of her case...

...whacking her repeatedly
in the face with the other.

[Limor] ...because of that very moment.

[man ] This... This case rests
on the sentence.

The first sentence
of that... of that article.

- [man ] Yeah.
- "I was..."

"I was... I became the face
of domestic v*olence."

And the case really is,
the lawyers' case is,

"We are gonna prove
that everything you said is not true."

[gentle suspenseful music plays]

[Azcarate] All right, your next witness.

[Callen] "You're making this stuff up."

[lawyer] Could you state
your full name for the record?

- Shannon Curry.
- What do you do for a living?

I am a clinical and forensic psychologist.

How'd you get involved in this case?

I was asked, uh, by counsel for Mr. Depp

to provide
a psychological evaluation of Ms. Heard.

Were you ever asked to do
a psychological evaluation of Mr. Depp?

No.

During the trial,
both sides have been using mental health

and substance addiction as weapons

against the other team.

And what usually happens
is the people bringing the case

usually have a mental health expert

diagnosing the opposing person
with a bad mental health disorder.

The results of Ms. Heard's evaluation
supported two diagnoses,

borderline personality disorder
and histrionic personality disorder.

And then the person defending themselves
in the trial will typically try to say,

"No, no, no, I don't have
that bad diagnosis."

"I have something that evokes
more pity from a jury and an audience,

something like PTSD."

Okay, so I met with Ms. Heard,
um, for a total of about hours.

The main opinion
is that Ms. Heard's report

of intimate partner v*olence

is consistent with what we know
in the field

about intimate partner v*olence,

and that Ms. Heard demonstrated

very clear psychological
and traumatic effects.

[lawyer] And did you arrive
at any diagnostic conclusions?

I diagnosed, uh, Ms. Heard
with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Ms. Heard did not have PTSD,

and there were also
pretty significant indications

that she was grossly exaggerating
symptoms of PTSD.

We know that if somebody suffers
childhood abuse as a child,

they're much more likely, then,
to be more vulnerable to getting PTSD.

She was raised in a family of v*olence.

She was physically abused by her father,

uh, she saw her father abuse her mother,

and both her parents also struggled
with substance abuse very significantly,

so she had learned
from a very early age how to caretake.

When it comes to histrionic,

a lot of the key features
are going to be drama,

extreme discomfort
with not being the center of attention,

extreme efforts
to be the center of attention,

and when they feel
that they're not the center of attention,

you will see making up stories
to try to get attention,

often taking on a victim
or a princess role.

She learned that she could love
someone who hurts her.

She knew that people who hurt her
also can love her.

It also represented the quick shifts
you'll see between emotions.

So, she would suddenly be one way,

and then she would become very animated.

People who are observing them will feel
like, uh, it's almost playacting.

[woman] It became about
whether people thought she was lying,

how Heard was acting on the stand,
the way she looked shifty.

As it sort of snowballed out of control,

it became much, much, much, much less
about that actual simple yes-no question,

"Can she call herself
a victim of domestic abuse?"

Let's go back to the...
there was a plane incident

where Depp allegedly kicked
Amber Heard on a plane.

I believe it was in .

[Romano] Just going back
to the incident where Depp and Heard

got in a fight on an airplane.

[gently pulsing music plays]

[lawyer] So I'm going to take you
to the Boston plane incident.

[Heard] The plan, we'd go back
to L.A. for his daughter's birthday.

And I get on the plane.

And I, uh, ju... I just knew
in every cell of my body

something was wrong.

[Romano] Just boil it
down to that one incident.

All the little details, like,
don't really have anything to do

with proving whether a crime happened.

The goal is to prove that she's lying.

- [Chew] Good morning, Mr. Wyatt.
- Good morning.

Mr. Wyatt, was Mr. Depp consuming
any alcohol on that flight?

Sure. Yes.

[Chew] Did he seem intoxicated?

"Seem intoxicated"? I...

No, he seemed like Johnny.
No, he seemed normal.

[Heard] He reeks of weed and alcohol.

I mean, his breath smelled so bad.

[chuckles]

Well, she was giving Johnny
the cold shoulder,

being quiet,
and, uh, you know, seemed pouty.

We had argued the night before.

She was looking for a fight,

and I had taken two

of these, um, opiates, these Roxicodones.

He was mad at me
for taking the job with James Franco.

- [paprazzi] Amber!
- [cameras clicking]

[gasps]

He hated James Franco.

So he, um, is asking me
about how the sex scene went,

to asking me what James Franco
had done in the scene.

He was saying
really disgusting things about my body,

about how I liked it.

He called me a slut in front of people.

[Chew] To what extent were you able
to see Mr. Depp and Ms. Heard?

Uh, i-it... it...
I was able to see them very clearly.

Wasn't Mr. Depp saying
pretty horrible things to Ms. Heard?

[Wyatt] I don't recall that.

[lawyer] Like, "Get f*cked on set"?

"Get f*cked
with f*cking James f*cking Franco"?

- Did you hear that?
- I don't recall.

Did you hear him say,
"At least you f*cking liked it"?

No.

Did you hear him say, "I bet you slipped
a tongue in there and liked it"?

[chuckles] No.

Did you hear him say...
make references to Amber's p*ssy,

and asking if her p*ssy was wet?

[Chew] Your Honor,
lack of foundation, harassment.

[lawyer] Did you hear any of that?

- No, not that I recall.
- [Azcarate] Overrule the objection.

I, at some point in this, get up.

I walk away from him.

My back is turned to him,
and I feel this... boot

in my back.

He just kicked me

in the back.

And I... I didn't...

I thought to myself,
"f*ck. I don't know what to do."

No one said anything, no one did anything.

It was like you could h...

You could hear a pin drop on that plane.

You could feel the tension,
but no one did anything.

I felt so embarrassed
that he could kick me to the ground

in front of people. [sobs]

[Chew] To what extent, if any,

did you observe Mr. Depp or Ms. Heard

hit, kick, or throw anything
at each other on the plane?

No, I don't recall that at all.

[Heard] As he got worse,
he demanded the oxygen t*nk

from the flight attendants.

[lawyer] You shared an oxygen t*nk
with Mr. Depp on that Boston plane.

- Didn't you?
- No.

He continued to drink,

and then eventually, um,
started howling like an animal.

[sniffles] And passed out in the bathroom...

[sighs]...with the door locked.

[Depp moaning]

[droning music plays]

[Depp moaning]

[man on recording] Okay.

[lawyer] Mr. Wyatt, did you see Mr. Depp,

uh, go to the back of the plane
and pass out and moan loudly?

- I don't recall that.
- [lawyer] You don't recall that either?

- No.
- [lawyer] Okay.

Did you leave the plane with Mr. Depp?

I went to my own home.

Okay, and what was Mr. Depp's state?

[Depp continues moaning on recording]

[Wyatt] I don't recall.

You don't recall
if he was passed out or not?

No.

As you're sitting here today, under oath,

you honestly can't remember
if Mr. Depp was passed out?

I don't know.

And Mr. Depp could have
kicked Amber on that plane, right?

Not that I saw.

[ominous music plays]

[Rottenborn] When you got off the plane
from Boston, you knew Ms. Heard

was angry with you, didn't you?

[Depp] She was always angry, yes.

[Rottenborn] And you asked Mr. Deuters...
He was your personal assist...

Mr. Deuters was
your personal assistant, correct?

[Depp] Yeah, Mr. Deuters
was one of them, yes, sir.

[Rottenborn] Right, and it wasn't uncommon
for you to ask Mr. Deuters

to communicate with Ms. Heard
on your behalf, correct?

It wasn't uncommon
for any of them to communicate,

uh, with Ms. Heard on my behalf.

[reporter] Deuters never testified.

So with Depp on the witness stand
for the second time,

here's what happened
when Amber Heard's defense attorney

tried to show texts
from Depp's assistant to the jury.

[Rottenborn] Can you pull up
Exhibit , please?

[somber classical music plays]

Based on Mr. Depp's testimony,

I'd ask to move
for the admission of Exhibit .

[Vasquez] Your Honor...

- Can we please approach?
- Sure.

[woman] Some people are saying
in the chat that Deuters' texts,

if that's what we're about to see,

they're... they're not gonna look good
for Johnny.

Came up in the UK trial as well. Um...

About ki... Uh, something
about kicking Amber.

[man] They didn't get
that Deuters stuff in.

[woman] Okay.

[reporter] After that sidebar,
attorney Ben Rottenborn moves on,

and those texts stay out of evidence.

[woman] You know, there was
so much evidence in this case.

In the pre-trial hearings,
they have to, you know, rule

what is admissible, what isn't,
just so that when we get to trial,

we can, you know, speed things along,

only have what's, you know,
essential for the trial,

for the jurors to make up their mind.

[podcast host] Why would you
want to exclude evidence?

Because it hurts you. That's why.

- Depp is a master actor, dude.
- [host laughs]

He seduced all of us by barely moving.

[crowd cheers]

It's your decision whether you want
to separate the art from the artist.

- [man] Mm-hmm.
- Um...

I think Johnny Depp is a terrific actor.

I also happen to think
he's a violent lover.

- [crowd cheers]
- [siren wails]

[anchor] He's a likeable guy,

other than
these horrific allegations, right?

Everybody loved him
in The Pirates of the Caribbean,

and there's a little bit
of what's called a halo effect around him.

[ethereal music plays]

But that's why these photos, the texts,
the testimony, is so devastating,

because it shatters that perception
we have of Mr. Depp.

[Rottenborn] Paul Bettany's a good friend
that you've done dr*gs with, right?

That's a strange question.

Um, Paul Bettany's a good friend. Yes.

The two of you shared an enjoyment
of controlled dr*gs and alcohol

at that time, yes or no?

Yes.

- [Rottenborn] You've done dr*gs with him?
- Yes, I have.

[Rottenborn] Cocaine, right?

Uh, cocaine, yes.

[Rottenborn] Alcohol.

Alcohol, yes.

[Rottenborn] Now you try
to conduct yourself as a gentleman, right?

[Depp] Yes, sir.

[Rottenborn] Mr. Depp,
this is a text message exchange

that you had with Paul Bettany

on June th, .

You text Mr. Bettany, "Let's burn Amber."

- You see that?
- [Depp] I do see that.

[Rottenborn] The next text down, you say...

[reading]

Did I read that right?

You certainly did, yes.

And you wrote that about the woman
who would later become your wife.

Yes, I did.

Dark humor.

The text messages that... it...

I apologize
that everyone's had to, uh, experience.

I am ashamed of, uh...

of some of the references, uh, made.

I'm, uh, embarrassed that, at the time,

the heat of the moment,

the heat of the pain...

um, that I was feeling,

um, went to...

went to dark places.

[gentle suspenseful music plays]

[Azcarate] Thank you, you may be seated.
All right, closing arguments.

Mr. Rottenborn?

- [Rottenborn] Thanks.
- Okay, thank you.

Good morning everyone.
Think about the message

that Mr. Depp and his attorneys
are sending to Amber,

and by extension, to every victim
of domestic abuse everywhere.

When Mr. Depp
brought this case for defamation,

Ms. Heard went all in.

She spun a story of shocking,
overwhelming, brutal abuse.

"If you didn't take pictures,
it didn't happen."

"If you did take pictures, they're fake."

She came into this courtroom

prepared to give the performance
of her life, and she gave it.

"You didn't seek medical treatment,
you weren't injured."

"If you did seek medical treatment,

you're crazy."

Now it's time for you, the jury,

to come to a decision.

This trial is about so much more
than Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard.

What is at stake
in this trial is a man's good name.

It's about the freedom of speech.
Stand up for it, protect it...

What is at stake
at this trial is a man's life...

...and reject Mr. Depp's claims
against Amber.

...the life that he lost
when he was accused of a heinous crime...

But he doesn't stop there,

because in Mr. Depp's world,
you don't leave Mr. Depp.

...and the life he could live
when he is finally vindicated.

And if you do,

he will start a campaign
of global humiliation against you...

The mountain of evidence
that Mr. Depp abused Ms. Heard

is simply not there.

...a smear campaign
that lasts to this very day.

[Vasquez] Either he hit her
countless times,

or you can't believe a single word
that comes out of her mouth.

He will do everything he can
to destroy your life,

to destroy your career.

All right. It is out of my hands.

So just a reminder that you're not to read
anything about this case,

you're not to watch
anything about this case,

you're not to listen
to anything about this case.

This applies to television,
newspapers, magazines,

the Internet, and any online sites.

Further, you're not to read, watch,
or listen to anything about the case

on social media n... sites,

uh, any blogs, or similar sites.

In addition, you must not communicate
with anyone about the case...

[suspenseful pulsing music plays]

[reporter ] Tonight,
with his high-profile defamation case

now in the hands of the jury,
Johnny Depp is letting his hair down.

[rock music plays]

The actor, spotted performing
on stage in England

after expl*sive closing arguments Friday.

[suspenseful pulsing music continues]

Dear Johnny Depp, I stand with you.

[all] I stand with you.

[all] I stand with you.

[reporter ] On TikTok, the hashtag
"Justice for Johnny Depp"

now has nearly billion views,

while the hashtag
"Justice for Amber Heard"

has . million.

[man] Well, I do.

- ♪ Yeah ♪
- ♪ Leave her out cold like December ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

Jury's been dismissed for the weekend,

so that's it.

Now we have a long weekend

and wait until Tuesday.
What are we going to do?

[in Italian] We can come
to a few conclusions, none very good.

[in Spanish] To manage your anxiety,
I'll keep you updated.

[in English] Guys,
is anyone else freaking out?

We have to wait an entire weekend
to see what's going on in this case.

Sorry for shaking the camera
but I am stressed.

I'm not gonna be able to relax now.

I'm gonna be thinking about this
all weekend. I'm freaking out.

[King Julien]
How long is this going to take?

[echoes]

[anchor] If you think about it,
right now, Johnny Depp and the public

is about as radioactive as Chernobyl soil,

and there is a real risk that not only
could he lose this case as the plaintiff,

but Heard has a $ million
counterclaim against him,

so this thing could get real bad,
even worse, real fast for Mr. Depp.

I thought it was important to come out

because she didn't really have
any supporters out here,

um, I think especially today.

I'm the only one out here.

[Darthn ws] Man, my heart is racing.

It is literally like, "Whoo!"

I am... I've never been
this nervous for a verdict before.

[man] So we've got literally five minutes.
So guys, which way is it gonna go?

I've asked you, and on the poll,

it's gone up to % of you
think that Johnny will win,

with "neither" being the next choice.

[Emily Baker] So, you're in court now.
Whatever else is going on in your life,

it's like, "I'm sorry, I have...
Court has resumed." [laughs]

[Darthn ws] Oh, here's the barn witch.
Here she is.

Oh, sh*t! [laughs] Oh, sh*t!

She looks so happy.

Oh, I can't wait
to see that smile turn upside down.

Fingers crossed, fingers crossed.

Yeah, Amber Heard
is the only one in court.

Johnny Depp is currently in the UK.

[Morgan] He's not at the courtroom.
She's gone to the courtroom,

Amber Heard, and is apparently...

Her people are already saying,
"Well, doesn't this say it all?"

[Azcarate] Ready for the jury.

[Morgan] "He's gallivanting
on a rock concert over there."

[Baker] They look stoic.
What do you guys think in the chat?

I wonder who the jury's looking at.

All right, Mr. Foreperson,
is this the verdict of the jury?

- [man] Yes, Your Honor.
- All right, is it unanimous?

[man] Yes, Your Honor.

All right, let's see it.

[clerk] In civil case number CL- ...

I got my megapint ready. Oh, my God.

[clerk]...Mr. Depp's claim
against Ms. Heard.

[Signore] Here we go.

- [clerk] One, as to the statement...
- [Baker] Here we go.

...appearing in the online op-ed
entitled, "Amber Heard: I Spoke Up...

[Baker] Statement one, the headline.

[clerk] "...and Faced our Culture's Wrath,"
do you find that Mr. Depp

has proven all the elements of defamation?

Answer, yes.

- Boom!
- Damn!

- [clerk continues indistinctly]
- [Baker] Depp wins count one.

Oh, sh*t!

[clerk]...the statement was made
or published by Ms. Heard?

- Answer, yes.
- [man] Wow!

[laughs]

[clerk] The stated question,
the statement was about Mr. Depp?

Answer, yes.

[applauds]

[clerk] Question, the statement was false?

Answer, yes.

[man] Yes! He's winning.

[clerk] Question, the statement
has a defamatory implication

about Mr. Depp?

Answer, yes.

- [both gasp]
- [Signore] Yeah!

- [clerk continues indistinctly]
- It's gone Johnny's way.

[clerk] Do you find
that Mr. Depp has proven...

- Very interested in this one.
- ...all the elements of defamation?

Answer, yes.

[vloggers laugh]

[clerk] Question, defamatory implication
was designed and intended by Ms. Heard?

- Answer, yes.
- [laughs]

[clerk] Question, do you find
that Mr. Depp has proven

all the elements of defamation?

Answer, yes.

- [gasping and laughing]
- [Signore] No way!

[clerk] Has Mr. Depp proven
by a greater weight of the evidence,

question, the defamatory implication...

- [Asmongold] Oh my God.
- ...was designed and intended by Ms. Heard?

Answer, yes.

- [Asmongold] All yesses. Holy sh*t.
- [all cheering]

Wow.

[clerk] We the jury
award compensatory damages

in the amount of ten million dollars.

- [vloggers cheering]
- Yeah!

- Ten million dollars!
- [crowd cheers]

[clerk] We the jury award punitive damages

in the amount of five million dollars.

- Oh! [laughs]
- Yes!

Oh, my God.

[clerk] Do you find that Ms. Heard
has proven all the elements of defamation?

Answer, yes.

- [man] Oh.
- Oh!

She wins one count in her counterclaim.

[clerk] As against John C. Depp II,

we the jury award compensatory damages
in the amount of two million dollars.

Oh, my God.

[Azcarate] Ladies and gentlemen,
this concludes your service on this case.

I wanna thank you again
for your dedication

and your hard work during this trial,
and I know I speak for everybody here.

[crowd] Johnny! Johnny! Johnny!
Johnny! Johnny! Johnny!

- [man speaks indistinctly]
- [crowd cheering]

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
defamation trial announced its verdict,

ruling in favor of Johnny Depp.

[man] Love you, Johnny!
We love you, Johnny! We lo...

Oi, John, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny,
I love you, bro. I love you, bro.

[reporter] A verdict with little victory
when the battle has been so brutal.

Amber Heard was not a good witness,
and juries react to that.

[ominous droning music plays]

[woman] I think the jury
got it wrong, Jake.

I'm very disappointed in the jury verdict.

I think this is another big win
for powerful men,

and it's a colossal loss for women.

This was a humiliation ritual
intending to put women in their place.

If you speak out about abuse,

there will be consequences.

It was the verdict we all wanted, guys.

[women] Yay!

[chanting] Johnny Depp, Depp, Depp!
Johnny Depp, Depp, Depp!

[pounding trance music plays]

[music echoes into distance]

[ominous droning music continues]

[woman] The pleasure with which
we're humiliating Amber Heard

is... is just as, I... I think, troubling

as... as the glamorization
of... of... of Johnny Depp in this story.

When it's somebody that we know,
somebody that we maybe like,

they don't wanna have to think
this person is really capable

of doing what's alleged in court.

I've never had as many emails, uh,
as I've received about this very topic.

I've heard from men
who have been, uh, abused,

I've heard from women who are survivors
who don't believe Amber Heard

and say she's hurting, uh, survivors.
So there's a lot of feelings out there.

But one of the things I hope
that this trial raises some awareness of

is the complexity of domestic v*olence

and some of the gendered implications
of it,

particularly when we're talking
about male victims of domestic v*olence.

[man ] This powerful open letter
states that they don't stand with her,

they don't accept
that she is who she claimed to be.

"We will not stand with you."

[man reading]

"We supported you, we wept for you,

we rallied behind you,

and you betrayed us all."

[woman reading]

[man reading]

I'm feeling incredibly triggered
and re-traumatized

as someone who's experienced
relationship abuse in the past,

but I'm not feeling triggered
on behalf of Johnny Depp.

[woman] What we're seeing happen,
stereotypes that are coming out, right,

uh, that were calling A-Amber Heard
a liar, who... glorifying, uh, Johnny Depp

as-as-as-as this amazing man, right,

um, is the reason why Me Too started.

It's the... It's... It's...

It's why activists really wanted
to fight for this movement

and why it's so important,
because women didn't feel,

and... and, you know,
survivors of all genders,

didn't feel like they could report,
didn't feel like it was gonna be welcome.

What does it mean for that?
Are we at the end of Me Too?

Is this a reversal? Wh... Where are we?

[Plank] I mean, it's a backlash to Me Too,

and what we're seeing
unfold on the Internet

is that we're proving them right.

We're... We're... We're saying
that, "Yes, you will be silenced,

you will be humiliated."

I'm not taking any sides.

It sounds like Heard did allegedly do

some malicious sh*t
during the course of their relationship.

But I am feeling some kind of way

about the way that Heard
is being inhumanely att*cked

every day on a global scale.

And here's what this means
for victims of abuse,

fewer victims will come forward,
especially if they haven't been perfect

during the course
of their relationship with the abuser.

So if you're not the perfect victim
because you did something wrong,

you fought back,
you're an imperfect person,

then the world will lob
every available insult at you

to get you to shut up.

[slow pulsing music plays]

First question, how is Amber doing?

One of the first things she said is,

"I am so sorry
to all those women out there."

This is a setback for all women
in and outside the courtroom.

[Guthrie] Let me ask you
about social media.

It was incredibly lopsided
and vitriolic against Amber Heard.

Do you think
that had an effect on the case?

- [Bredehoft] Absolutely.
- You think jurors were aware?

How can you not?
They went home every night.

They have families,
the families are on social media.

Do you believe the jurors saw any of that,
were swayed by any of that?

[both] No.

I don't think
there's any reason to believe

that the jurors violated their oath.

...had a ten-day break in the middle
because of the judicial conference.

There's no way
they couldn't have been influenced by it,

and it was horrible.

It is everywhere, but at the same time,
they were admonished every single night,

and, uh, they had
an... tremendous amount of respect,

I think, for the court and the process,

and they were doing
the best that they could.

I... I was against cameras
in the courtroom.

And I went on record with that,

and... and had argued against it
because of the sensitive nature of this.

But it made it a zoo.

[Romano] By allowing cameras
into the trial,

you opened up the space for TikTok memes.

I mean, you did have, obviously, like,
competing social media hashtags, right...

- [woman] Yeah.
- ...in support for one or the other.

But there was a lot of research
showing that the hashtags for Johnny Depp

had been essentially created
and proliferated and manipulated

far and wide across the Internet.

[Hobbes] People say it's bots.

The scale of, like, the misinformation
about this trial is truly unprecedented.

Okay, I'm watching this interview
with Amber Heard's lawyer.

She's very articulate, by the way,
which is completely in contrast

to the way that she was portrayed
on social media.

And so, naturally,
go to check out the comments,

they're all very disparaging.

They're racking up tons of likes,
, , , , , ,

but when you actually go to click
into these profiles, they're all fake.

Like, none of these people are real.

Zero content.

And then you start to realize,
like, these are probably bots.

And when you actually click on the profile
of the person who posted this video,

it's a super pro-Johnny Depp fan account,
which is probably a bot too.

We're being influenced by bots interacting
with bots interacting with bots.

Do you know anything
about an online campaign,

uh, on behalf of Johnny Depp?

That was absolutely absurd and baseless.

And... And you know for a fact
that neither he nor his agents nor anyone

tried to, in some way, pay for

or otherwise encourage
this kind of social media...

- Categorically false. Categorically false.
- Categorically?

[fans cheering]

[Signore] Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

Yes!

Johnny just looked at us
and pointed at us!

[laughing]

- Thank you.
- Than... Well, I gotta thank you.

- No, man.
- I... I've been through a similar thing.

And I'm just so proud of you.
I'm so proud of you.

You... You didn't give up.

It helped make sure
people heard the truth.

Guys, I met Johnny Depp.

I'm not just saying I shook his hand,

I spent time, quality time,
with Johnny Depp.

You... You... You...
You guys were the warriors. I mean...

It... It... It... It stunned me.

It... It stunned me
that... that all of you could...

that all of you got together and... and...

lifted me above the... the, um...

[chuckles]...the horror show.

[woman] Yeah.

You know?

By the way,
I learned so much from you guys.

[laughing]

I learned so much from watching you guys.

This is the case that,
though there is a verdict,

just will not end.

Why? Because Amber Heard has
not stopped talking about this case.

She sat down for an exclusive interview

with Savannah Guthrie.
You guys are gonna wanna hear this one.

Even if you think that I'm lying,

you still couldn't look me in the eye
and tell me

that you think, on social media,

there's been a fair representation.

Yeah, because you lied!
And the public didn't buy...

isn't falling for your nonsense anymore.

- The jury's not immune to that.
- You think the jury saw it?

How could they not?

I think even
the most well-intentioned juror,

it would have been impossible
to avoid this.

Hi, everybody there
on, um, Andy's, um, Popcorned Planet.

I've... I can only say thank you

from... from the...
from the very recesses of, uh...

of my being, um, for all...

for everything,
for being f... around for me,

for your support, and, uh...

thank you.

Thank you, thank you.
A lot of survivors wanna thank you.

Thank you for everything, man.

- Aw.
- Incredible.

There's an abundance of people

who also agree
and think that you're lying,

that we all are angry at you.

The Depp team argued
that you were the abuser.

I never had to instigate it,
I responded to it. When you're liv...

"I never had to instigate it."

She believes every word she's saying.

Nice spin there.

Then there are other times,
there's another tape,

where you're taunting him,
and saying, "Oh..."

"...I, a man, am a victim
of domestic v*olence."

Twenty-second clips.

So the transcripts of them...

- Yeah.
- [Heard]...are not representative

of two hours, or the three hours
those clips are excerpt from.

What? What do you mean,
it doesn't represent it?

What... What do you mean by that?
Yeah, it does!

'Cause... 'Cause it's in...
It's in the recording!

You can't sit there and say, "Well,
it doesn't represent the whole..." It does.

Amber Heard wanted to characterize
Johnny Depp as a character.

There were many memes from the trial,
but now memes from the...

Now memes from the interview.

[Guthrie] The Depp lawyer said...
called your testimony,

"The performance of a lifetime,"
and said you were acting.

What do you say to that?

Says the lawyer

for the man who convinced the world
he had scissors for fingers?

[laughs]

[chortles]

[dreamy magical music playing]

You mean to tell me that that fool
was lying to us the whole time?

His hands were not really
made of scissors?

[melancholic music plays]

[man] What we really wanna
get into right now

is what the jury didn't see,

what wasn't allowed
during the course of this trial.

Over , documents
have been unsealed in this case.

This would have been very relevant
for the jury to hear.

[woman] If you wanted to get hold
of those documents, you had to go

to the Virginia courthouse
and make a request,

so JD fans crowdfunded
getting hold of the unsealed documents.

[woman ] Andrea Burkhart,
who is a YouTube commentator

and is a criminal defense attorney,

she crowdsourced the funds
in order to buy these documents.

[Burkhart] If you've been watching
this case for a while,

you know that Amber Heard has a habit

of hiding behind information
that can't be verified.

But it looks
like that might not be the case.

What spurred this
was when they were in court

to sign the judgment and sentence,

Judge Azcarate voiced her intention

to unseal materials
that had previously been sealed,

and she said
that many of the things were sealed

because we didn't want
to have any taint to the jury.

So if Amber Heard was hoping
to keep all of this stuff secret,

I think she's gonna find herself
out of luck.

Let's go back to the...
there was a plane incident

where Depp allegedly kicked
Amber Heard on a plane.

I believe it was in .

[Rottenborn] Did you observe
Mr. Depp kick or throw anything

at each other on the plane?

No, I don't recall that at all.

There were texts
from Johnny Depp's assistant,

Stephen Deuters, to Amber Heard,

quote... [reading]

Why was these text messages
not introduced?

I mean, this felt very pivotal
for Amber Heard's case.

The court ruled on those
that they're irrelevant

to the... the case at hand of defamation.

You know, there was
so much evidence in this case,

and now we're seeing
even more of the evidence,

and... and in the pre-trial hearings,
they have to, you know, rule

what is admissible, what isn't.

And, yeah, there's some of these things
that are really on the line

of whether they should or shouldn...
shouldn't have been admissible.

[reporter] Depp supporters have been
unliking Depp's victory post

over the weekend.

The discovery of the unlikes
has come after the unsealing

of pretrial documents that the judge
ruled not relevant to the case.

We're gonna dive
into all of these things today

so you can decide for yourself.

"Previously sealed court documents,

they revealed texts
from Depp and his assistant

all but confirming Heard's allegation

he'd kicked and b*at her
in front of his staff on a private plane."

[Baker reading]

[continues reading]

"The veracity
of these text messages is critical

and subject to serious question."

[woman] So what is the truth?

This question of the truth
of the matter I can't answer.

In fact, no one can.

No one knows what happened
between these two people.

Sounds like there is evidence

that they were both abusive
toward each other,

but it's a lot of "he said, she said,"

and it's nearly impossible
to find resolution and truth.

[tense ethereal music plays]

[woman ] The public is a... a second jury.

Us making up our own decisions and...
really swayed on people's public opinion,

including the jurors',
of these two characters.

[Jacobs] People who've been accused
of wrongdoing,

the goal is to get a form of justice,

a sense of redemption for themselves.

It's about clearing their name
and trying to establish

what the truth was
of this relationship or this incident

in a public court of law.

[Melcher] He's won already
in the court of opinion,

and he needed
the court process to clear his name.

The thing is about justice
is that it's not about the truth,

it's not about right or wrong,

it's about what the judge
or jury believes.

[Viall] We now live in a time
where we don't necessarily believe

who's right...

[echoing] ...we believe who we like the most

because of who they are.

The outcome of this trial
will have ramification,

if nothing else, how people
believe people and their stories.

[music intensifiying]

[audio glitching]

[music stops]

[sweeping classical music plays]