Ariana Baio
Jun 01, 2022
Video
As jurors continue deliberation in the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard case, a document has revealed the 42 questions they must answer before reaching a decision.
After six long weeks of testimony and rebuttal, jurors began deliberation on Friday to decide if Heard, 36, defamed her ex-husband Depp, 58, or if Depp defamed Heard.
Each question pertains to a statement Depp or Heard made which jurors will have to determine was defamation using a guide that asks:
- Was the statement made or published by the person accused of defamation?
- Was the statement about the other party?
- Was the statement false?
Depp sued Heard for $50 million in 2019 regarding an op-ed Heard wrote in the Washington Post in 2018 titled Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.
One of the questions jurors must answer is if Heard's statement "I spoke up against sexual violence—and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change" was defamation.
Although Heard never mentioned Depp by name in the article, she claimed she was a victim of domestic abuse. Since the two actors were married from 2015 to 2016, the public and media assumed Heard was talking about Depp and the actor's reputation began to dwindle.
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Jurors will also have to answer a ew questions regarding Heard's op-ed to conclude if statements had 'defamatory implications' which means the statements made remain true but carry an insinuation that the information is false or harmful.
After the op-ed was published, a representative for Depp claimed all of Heard's allegations were a "hoax" and she was the one abusing him. In return, Heard countersued Depp for $100 million claiming her reputation was damaged by accusing her of lying.
Jurors will have to answer if statements made by Depp's representative defamed Heard as well.
\u201cRemember. The Jury has been present for over 6 weeks of testimony. They have 38 pages of Jury Instructions and 8 pages of verdict forms. Each verdict form requires a YES or NO to 8 different items. It is going to take some time. As Tom Petty said 'the waiting is the hardest part'\u201d— Emily D. Baker \u2696\ufe0f \ud83d\udc9c (@Emily D. Baker \u2696\ufe0f \ud83d\udc9c) 1654034741
With six weeks of testimony and evidence under their belt, jurors will need to answer "yes" or "no" to the 42 questions. Already, jurors are on day three of deliberation and some believe it may take a while for them to reach a final decision.
On Tuesday, jurors submitted a question to Judge Penney Azcarate asking for clarification if they should consider the headline false or the entire article false.
Judge Azcarate told jurors to only consider the headline.
Jurors will also be asked to determine how much money each side should be allotted.
Although the public may have decided who won in the Depp v. Heard case, it will be up to the jury if each side's argument was strong enough to convince them.
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