Alanna Vagianos from Huffington Post argues that the verdict in the highly publicized defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard sent a loud and clear message to victims everywhere: ‘Don’t speak up.’
Alanna Vagianos // Huffington Post
All of the camera crews swarming the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial are heading home, the trending hashtags in support of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor are dying down and late night hosts have moved on to satirize the next big news story. What remains of the highly publicized defamation trial is the mental math everyday victims of gender-based violence are doing right now ― trying to figure out if it’s worth speaking up or better to stay silent.
After six weeks of livestreamed testimony, a Virginia jury found that a 2018 Washington Post opinion piece authored by Heard, identifying herself as a survivor of intimate partner violence, was defamatory against her ex-husband Depp. Heard will have to pay Depp $10.35 million in total damages ― a steep price for never actually naming her ex-husband in the piece. And, it’s worth noting, a cost that could leave Heard bankrupt.
The trial was a true media circus that continually dragged Heard’s character through the mud. A slew of social media users (and, possibly, a large number of bots) spent the better part of the past two months dissecting Heard’s allegations, often accusing her of being a fame-hungry liar. It was nothing new for any woman who has accused a famous man of violence. But the sheer volume of loyal Depp fans ― even in the context of celebrity culture ― is jarring.
And what’s worse is the number of people who are so quick to gloss over how our collective discussions about Heard will impact victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Every tweet calling Heard a “lying bitch”; the mob mentality of support for Depp; the knee-jerk reaction to sanitize Depp’s violent history because Heard was also sometimes violent. Survivors and victims are reading all of these things and noting who in their lives is safe to disclose to and who isn’t.
During the trial, Heard accused Depp of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, often triggered by his allegedly heavy drinking and drug use, over the course of their four-year relationship. Depp claimed Heard was the one who was physically violent in their relationship and denies all accusations of physical abuse on his part.
Heard reacted to the verdict Wednesday, calling it a “setback” for women, “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,” she added.