According to legal analysts, Johnny Depp’s ridiculous and seemingly disrespectful behavior in court could potentially jeopardize his $ 50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star won the hearts of fans and fans on social media, who seemed fascinated by his ridiculous remarks and behavior during the high-ranking trial.
But legal experts warn that Depp’s “smart” comments – including his drinking joke – could make him look “unsympathetic” to those who will actually decide his fate: the jury.
The actor’s laughter and jokes during Hurd’s testimony may make him less “likable,” two leading libel lawyers in Virginia, where the case is being conducted, told DailyMail.com.
They also predicted that both sides could potentially lose their cases, as neither has yet met the standard of defamation.
Legal experts say Johnny Depp is potentially threatening his $ 100 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard for his behavior in court
Depp’s ridiculous remarks and bursts of laughter can be repulsive and draw him as “unpleasant” or “unsympathetic” to the jury, lawyers told DailyMail.com. Pictured: Spectators at the Fairfax County Court Gallery last week
The trial, which is taking place in Fairfax County Court, is currently on leave for a week, but will return on Monday, when Hurd, 36, will continue to testify.
Depp, 58, is suing his ex-wife for $ 50 million over a 2018 Washington Post article claiming she was a victim of domestic violence. Although the song does not mention Depp’s name, he claims it cost him $ 40 million for his acting work, including his iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Hurd, meanwhile, is suing for $ 100 million, claiming that Depp’s allegations have defiled her and ruined her career.
During the first four weeks of the trial, the jury heard explosive statements, including allegations that Depp hit Hurd in the head and sexually assaulted her with a bottle.
The trial also saw some moments of comic relief in the rostrum as a result of minor omissions by witnesses and even Depp himself.
At one point in his testimony, when asked about his drinking habits, Depp jokingly said, “Isn’t it a happy hour at all times?”
He was also seen shaking his head contemptuously, grinning and laughing at some of Hurd’s allegations in court.
But according to Virginia attorney Lee Berrick, the Hollywood star could sabotage his case with his laughter while Hurd testified in an exhausting and emotional way.
“In Fairfax, Virginia, we don’t have many celebrity attempts,” Berrick told DailyMail.com.
Depp was seen laughing during his bodyguard’s cross-examination last week after a witness was asked if he had ever seen the actor’s penis.
Depp was seen shaking his head contemptuously, grinning and laughing at some of Hurd’s allegations in court.
Depp also made a number of frivolous remarks during his testimony earlier in the trial. At one point, when asked about his drinking habits, Depp jokingly said, “Isn’t it a happy hour at all times?”
“Normally, when no one knows the parties and someone sues his wife for $ 100 million, you don’t want to see this man giggle and laugh at himself and make smart comments on the witness stand.
“You want the jury to sympathize with your client, and they have to be sympathetic to that. If you behave like that, it’s just fun and games that can repel a lot of people.
“But I don’t know how Johnny Depp is Johnny Depp changing that. Normal people are not met by 100 screaming fans when they enter the courtroom. I think this will exclude some people from the jury, but will it exclude everyone?
He continued, “Amber Heard sat upright and focused on Depp, making a neutral expression, but people on the Internet said she was hurting his evil eye.”
On the other hand, Stephen Krieger, a Virginia-based defamation lawyer, said Hurd’s stoic attitude could also cause her problems.
He said: “I would not be surprised if there was at least one juror who found each of his reactions inappropriate or unreliable or in some way negative.
“As for Depp, you don’t want to look to the jury that you’re joking, grinning or not taking it seriously.
“As for Hurd, you don’t want to look straight ahead with a dead expression on your face.” They should both try to look empathetic, humane and like the victim.
Amber Heard broke into a booth last Thursday as she recounts how Johnny Depp sexually assaulted her with a bottle of alcohol in March 2015 in Australia at their rental home
As for Hurd, legal experts told DailyMail.com she should avoid “looking straight ahead with a dead expression,” as she was sometimes seen doing before taking office last week.
Legal analysts say Amber Heard’s stoic stance during the proceedings could also hurt her case.
“If you’re trying to prepare your clients for a lawsuit, you want to have some physical disposition between what they both did.”
The case drew considerable media attention due to explosive lawsuits imposed by both sides.
But Berik told DailyMail.com that he believes both sides could lose their claims because each has not yet reached the required threshold.
If the jury finds “only one act of abuse by Johnny Depp against Amber Heard” and if they do their job properly, they will probably think that her text is true and Depp will probably lose his case.
“Most of what I’ve heard so far is about all sorts of details about all sorts of finger-cutting incidents and people pooping in bed and drinking cocaine,” Berick said.
“But when you read the article, there’s not much, and I’d expect Hurd’s lawyer to instruct the jury very carefully on what this case really is about.”
Depp and Hurd see each other in September 2015 in Venice, Italy. Both sides have used scorched earth tactics since the blast case was first filed.
Berrick said Hurd’s lawsuit was a “knee reaction” based on comments from Depp’s lawyer that seemed to deny her publication.
As Berrick sees, the comments quoted in Hurd’s counterclaim do not have “the same sting as a genuine slanderous comment.”
He said that if the jury looked past the famous participants, “both sides will leave empty-handed.”
“I don’t think either side will get anything,” he added.
Krieger also believes that both Depp and Hurd have “very difficult defamation cases to win.”
Depp bears the burden of proof in this case and must convince the jury that he did not abuse, which means that he must in fact prove negative.
“How is it proven negatively? That’s very challenging, “Krieger said.
Then the problem arises of how to find out what the damage could be if we assume that one country wins.
Krieger said: “Part of Depp’s damage may be the money he lost in losing his role in Pirates of the Caribbean, but there is also alleged damage to your reputation if Depp manages to prove that his statements are negative. his profession.
“However, if his reputation has already been damaged by drug abuse problems or something else that is happening in his life, then it is not clear how much more damage has been caused by the slanderous statements.
“The reality is that you can only prove reputational damage if you had a positive reputation in the beginning.”
Depp is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard, for defamation in Fairfax County Court after she wrote an article in The Washington Post in 2018 calling her a “public figure representing domestic violence.”
Legal experts believe that both Depp and Hurd have “very difficult defamation cases to win.” Pictured: Judge Penny Azcarate, presiding over the trial
One issue that is being discussed among those following the case is how the jury will react to evidence that Hurd, who claims to be a victim of violence, hit Depp.
Among the material released to the jury was an audio recording in which she admits that she “hit” Depp, but denies that she “hit” him.
Depp, in his testimony, described how Hurd once punched him in the face, an action she claims is in defense of her sister.
Krieger said this could be a “mitigating factor” for the jury, but acknowledged that even if the jury found Hurd abusive, they could still decide in her favor.
“If the jury finds out she beat him, it could definitely cloud the water, because the jury may decide that Amber’s testimony about how she was abused is less credible if she also abused Johnny,” he explained. .
“The jury will have to decide who is more credible, and they can raise their hands and say ‘we can’t understand it,’ which in practice would mean that the plaintiff has not taken the burden of proof.”
The same jury of seven to decide the case will have to decide what damages to award to Depp or Hurd if they find it in their favor.
But there is little guarantee of what this money could be – if anything at all.
Berrick said: “Indeed, they will do whatever they want. Perhaps it will be based on a calculation with scientific accuracy. Sometimes it will be based on what their insides tell them.
“That’s why lawsuits are risky,” he added.
And according to Berrick, whatever the outcome, the case will almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia – which means that this will probably not be the last thing you hear about Depp v. Hurd.
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