Lawyers for actor Johnny Depp attribute his victory in a widely followed trial that pitted him against ex-wife Amber Heard to the “Pirates of Caribbean” star being candid about his personal problems.
“Johnny owned his issues. He was very candid about his alcohol and drug issues,” attorney Benjamin Chew said during an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show on Wednesday. “He was candid about some unfortunate texts that he wrote, and I think it was a sharp contrast to Ms. Heard, who didn’t seem, or the jury may have perceived, she didn’t take accountability.”
The attorneys described Depp’s response to the verdict after a trial that stretched on for six weeks, drawing intense public interest, as one of relief.
“I was speaking with a mutual friend of Johnny and ours and he said, ‘I haven’t seen Johnny smile like that in six years,'” attorney Camille Vasquez told host Savannah Guthrie.
Chew added: “The weight of the world is off of his shoulders. He’s got his life back.”
Depp sued Heard over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in which Heard described herself, without naming Depp, as a victim of domestic abuse.
Depp claimed that the insinuations in the essay hurt his reputation and cost him acting jobs.
The trial, which included deeply personal and often lurid details about the former couple’s relationship, caused a media frenzy and sparked intense interest on social media outlets like TikTok and Twitter, with much of the discussion favoring Depp. The jury ultimately ruled in Depp’s favor on June 1.
Depp’s attorneys denied speculation that they waged an online campaign to rally support behind the actor, calling such accusations “utterly baseless.”
Chew noted that a previous judge had dismissed claims related to publicity campaigns.
“It’s absolutely absurd and baseless,” Chew said.