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Both Heard and Depp were found liable in dueling lawsuits against each other for defamation on Wednesday. However, the jury awarded Depp significantly more damages.
“That’s because she was demonized here,” Bredehoft said of the verdict. “A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed and that confused the jury.”
In a subsequent interview with CNN’s Kate Bouldan, Bredehoft said the jury ruled every one of his claims in Depp’s favor, in part because he had the benefits of “wealth, power and fame.”
“I think that made a big difference in this case. But it also said that we won’t believe women even if they have photos,” she said. “Basically, she’s not believed unless she pulled out her phone and iPhone and videotaped him hitting her, it didn’t happen.”
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million for alleging that she defamed him with a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she wrote about her experiences of domestic violence.
Depp wasn’t mentioned by name in Heard’s article, but he argued that it cost him work.
She is suing him for $100 million over statements by Depp’s lawyer calling her abuse claims a “hoax.”
The jury found that Heard had defamed Depp in three separate statements in the comment and that Depp had defamed Heard with a statement from his attorney.
The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, capped at $350,000 in Virginia. The jury awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages and no money in punitive damages.
CNN also requested an interview with an attorney for Depp, but they declined.
appointment planned
“From the beginning, the goal of bringing this case forward has been to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Telling the truth was something I owed to my children and to all those who have steadfastly supported me,” Depp’s statement read. “I’m reassured because I know I’ve finally made it.”
Bredehoft told CNN she felt that the combination of cameras and the number of Depp fans who came to the courthouse for the former couple’s defamation trial turned the courtroom into something “like a coliseum.”
“I think part of that had to do with the amount of social media that was involved, the cameras in the courtroom,” Bredehoft said. “The fact that they had 100 Depp fans there every day was like a coliseum versus a dignified courtroom. I think all of those things had a negative impact here that made this a lot more challenging and a lot harder.”
Bredehoft also said that while she had no doubt that the jury at the trial tried to comply with the judge’s order not to read news about the trial, she felt it would have been difficult to close all the locations block at which discussions were held six weeks of negotiations.
“But the reality is social media is everywhere, it’s been everywhere on TVs, radios, the internet, everywhere. It was really hard to hide that. And since it was so bitchy for Amber, I think it got a lot harder,” said Bredehöft.
Bredehoft said Heard’s appeal will focus in part on highlighting the information Heard was not allowed to testify about during the trial, which Depp’s team objected to as hearsay.
“I’m not questioning the fairness of the judge. I think she is a very good judge, I have known her for a long time. That doesn’t mean that I don’t question decisions, and in this case I question decisions,” said Bredehöft.
Sonia Moghe contributed to this story.
