News/Commentary

Turns out Johnny Depp-Amber Heard verdict is ‘a message to Black women everywhere!’

June 2, 2022 | | Print Article

The celebrity trial of the year has ended with a bang for Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp who cleaned up in his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard when a Virginia jury unanimously awarded him more than $10 million in a trial that has generated headlines for weeks.

On Wednesday, after weeks of testimony and three days of deliberations, the jury reached its verdict, agreeing with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise star that Heard made up claims that he had abused her both before and during their brief but tumultuous union.

Heard made her allegations in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed about domestic violence in which she never actually mentioned his name. Depp sued for $50 million insisting that he suffered grave career damage and that her column cost him several film roles with reports that one of those is of Captain Jack Sparrow, his most famous character.

Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages for libel along with another $5 million in punitive damages, the penalty for libel, although due to a Commonwealth statute the punitive amount was capped at $350,000.

Heard also won her own counter defamation suit against the 58-year-old actor, being awarded a sum of $2 million by the jury, far short of the $100 million that she sought, claiming that his former lawyer defamed her by calling her lawsuit a hoax.

Depp, who wasn’t in the courtroom for the verdict expressed great relief, saying that “the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”

The actor posted an image of what appeared to be a typewritten statement on Instagram.

“Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people, who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed,” he wrote. “All in the blink of an eye,”

“False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me,” he added. “It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and career.”

(Image: Screenshot)

“And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled,” Depp wrote.

Depp’s career has spanned nearly five decades and has featured starring roles in both box office smashes as well as lesser movies including “Edward Scissorhands,” “Donnie Brasco,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” the film version of the famed Hunter S. Thompson counterculture novel in which he played the drug-gobbling “Gonzo” journalist.

He also had roles as infamous Boston gangster Whitey Bulger in “Black Mass,” Ichabod Crane in “Sleepy Hollow” and of course, Captain Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean” and its sequels.

Heard posted her reaction on Twitter, writing, “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.”

“I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback,” she continued. “It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”

“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK,” she said. “I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly.”

 

Not only was it a devastating loss for Heard but Clay Travis of Outkick and the nationally syndicated “Clay & Buck Show” predicted that the verdict would be the death knell for the #MeToo movement.

Indeed, Heard’s reaction as she dramatically claimed the verdict is a “setback” for all women was taken even further with a head-scratching take from The Root in a piece headlined, “Amber Heard Verdict Sends A Message To Black Women Everywhere.”

“If the mistreatment of a wealthy blonde-haired, blue-eyed white actress is ridiculed by the world, what does that mean for Black women?” wrote Candace McDuffie.

“If all of Heard’s privilege couldn’t protect her from such viciousness, Black women—like always—remain even more vulnerable,” she added.

“As we’ve seen from Tina Turner to Rihanna, from Megan Thee Stallion to the dozens of young Black women R.Kelly abused, our pain becomes punchlines and our humanity is invalidated,” McDuffie claimed. “What happened to Heard is another vile reminder to women—particularly Black women—that nothing can guarantee our safety.”

Amid the countless reactions pouring in from Twitter users after the jury’s decision, this hot take sparked a truckload of confusion.

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Chris Donaldson
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10 thoughts on “Turns out Johnny Depp-Amber Heard verdict is ‘a message to Black women everywhere!’”

  2. These women make it so obvious that “racism” in America isn’t just a white redneck problem and black people are racist too. This reaction by so many black women needs to make society and particularly these women pause and really contemplate that they are racist. This decision was about abuse and women no matter what the color can and do abuse their husbands, both mentally and physically. The man is not always the guilty party when a couple turns violent. The only way this is about “black women” is they apparently think Amber should have won simply because she was female regardless of her starting the physical hitting.

  3. Amber was a straight up liar ,devious .
    From the get go I had her figured her out to be not true .

  4. This is really confusing as the last article I read where Matt Walsh was doing a documentary on What is a Woman and the women he spoke to could not even answer the question so my thought is how can it be said believe all women if a woman does not even know she is a woman? And now we have this article where some unknown black woman wants everyone to know she is a woman and make this all about race. We have some real sick people in society today and it seems to be getting worst as the days go on.

    Semper Fi 1969-1989

  5. Give me a break. Black women, at least ones that I have known, are some of the toughest. Don’t keep making them victims.

  6. The Washington Post and ACLU need to be held accountable for intentionally promoting lies to defame a man without researching the truth!

  7. Yep, this is about race. Its about a race of greed.They all think that our boat is sinking so their trying their best to grab as much as they can as fast as they can anyway they are capable by any means necessary. That is what has empowered the left and even some on the right. Its a total and complete con job. In the end, it will fail . Once people get fed up enough to do something about it. Unfortunately that probably wont happen until the bottom has dropped out. If they dont have faith in America then they should get the hell out. Theres plenty of 3rd world shit-hole countries to choose from.

  8. It seems there is a collection of warped mental midgets that like to play the race card and see it in everything!!

  9. How are there still people who got confused about how quickly this became about race?

    Never mind, it’s better to ask where those who always make it about race and “being a woman” think they’re going with this. One can only pray they aren’t hoping to “win” (illegally overturn a verdict), if only because the rule of law, threatened by these kinds of shenanigans, benefits everyone. Even criminals, as they’d get in even worse trouble with their victims (or the survivors), if it weren’t for said rule of law.

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