Following the conclusion of her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp, Amber Heard has been very vocal about her feelings on the verdict and more. The actress hasn’t minced words as, in her initial statement, she expressed “disappointment” with the decision of the jury, who found her guilty of three counts of defamation. More recently, Heard participated in her first sit-down interview since the case ended and spoke on an array of topics. And one thing that was discussed was a suppressed piece of evidence that the actress believes would’ve changed the outcome of the trial.
The defamation case included a few notable pieces of evidence, including audio tape, photos and more. These ultimately proved to be impactful when it came to deciding the case, but Amber Heard believes that a binder should’ve been examined as well. She explained to Today’s Savannah Guthrie during their interview that it allegedly held information from her doctor that would’ve hurt Johnny Depp’s case:
There's a binder worth of years of notes dating back to 2011, from the very beginning of my relationship, that were taken by my doctor, who I was reporting the abuse to. … Her notes represented years, years of real-time explanations of what was going on.
During the Dateline interview, it was said that the notes included allegations of abuse that the actress had made against her former spouse. Among them were claims that Johnny Depp “hit her” and “threw her on the floor” in January 2012, and she further alleged that he harmed her again several months later. Depp said during the case that he had “never struck any woman.”
Aside from the binder, Amber Heard also talked to Savannah Guthrie about how “fair” she believed the trial was. The actress believes that her character was not accurately represented during the proceedings largely due to the “vitriol” on social media. She also suggested that the jury felt more for her ex due to the fact that he’s “a beloved character and people feel they know him.”
Johnny Depp’s lawyers have since shared their thoughts on why the actress did not resonate with the jury. One of the attorneys, Ben Chew, said that it all came down to “accountability,” as he believes that Depp “owned his issues.” Chew further said that those deliberating on the case may have “have perceived that she didn't take accountability for anything.” A juror from the case has also spoken out, saying that he and his colleagues did not believe the starlet’s “crocodile tears” and that Depp came off as “more believable.” He did, however, state his belief that “they were both abusive to each other.”
As it stands, Amber Heard must pay her ex $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Heard’s lawyer has asserted that she is unable to pay the millions of dollars though, following that, some took notice of her recent use of a private plane.
When it comes to the binder, we’ll probably never know for sure whether it would’ve indeed changed the outcome of the case. What does seem apparent right now, however, is that the fallout from Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s trial could continue for quite some time.
