A juror from the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial speaks out and reveals how the verdict was reached.
Good Morning America invited a male member of the jury whose identity wasn’t revealed as he spoke off-camera. According to him, the testimony presented by Heard just wasn’t believable. Amongst the seven jurors, there were five men and two women who reached their verdict on the basis that they felt the actress’s story “didn’t add up” and thought she was shedding “crocodile tears” on the stand.
Emmy-nominated, Greg Ellis (@ellisgreg) shared the juror’s words on his Twitter:
Juror from Johnny Depp trial speaks out:
“Heard’s emotional testimony was not realistic. The crying, the facial expressions, the staring at the jury. All of us were very uncomfortable. Some of us used the expression… crocodile tears.”
There’s more. Watch ?? pic.twitter.com/HaX8hcKHcB
— Greg Ellis ?☠️ (@ellisgreg) June 16, 2022
The juror said:
“It didn’t come across as believable. It seemed like she was able to flip the switch on her emotions. She would answer one question, and she would be crying, and two seconds later, she would turn ice cold. It didn’t seem natural.”
The juror said that some of his fellow jurors even used the term “crocodile tears” to describe Heard’s supposed meltdown during her testimony.
See what the juror has to say regarding the case right here shared by @CourtTV:
The first juror in the #JohnnyDepp v. #AmberHeard defamation trial speaks out about the verdicts.
He told #ABC Heard crying on the stand seemed like "crocodile tears" and Depp was "more believable." What do YOU think?
WATCH #CourtTV LIVE – #DeppvsHeard – https://t.co/tnYdPcVsEs pic.twitter.com/4cCyKUaRw7
— Court TV (@CourtTV) June 16, 2022
Depp managed to win his defamation case on all three claims and was awarded $10 million as compensatory damages, including another $5 million as punitive damages. Heard, on the other hand, only managed to win one claim in the countersuit and was awarded $2 million.
The juror talked about how the jury’s thought process worked. They believed Heard’s defense was unable to prove for sure that Depp physically abused Heard, on the contrary, they found it more believable that Heard was the “aggressor” in their relationship.
The juror said:
“They had their husband-wife arguments. They were both yelling at each other. I don’t think that makes either of them right or wrong. That’s what you do when you get into an argument, I guess. But to rise to the level of what she was claiming, there wasn’t enough or any evidence that really supported what she was saying.”
As per the juror, there were a few other missteps from Heard’s defense. For instance, when Heard was inquired about the $7 million she received in the divorce settlement, she pledged (but didn’t donate the entire amount) it to a couple of charities. The juror said,
“The fact is, she didn’t give much of it away at all. It was disingenuous.”
The jury was also puzzled as to if Heard was the victim of domestic violence, why she’d choose to gift Depp a large knife. The juror said, “If you have a battered wife or spouse situation, why would you buy the other person, the ‘aggressor,’ a knife.”
The six-week trial was televised for the public as both Depp and Heard’s legal teams battled it out in the court. The divorced couple’s friends, family members and employees were called to the stand to back them. The juror said not every witness’s testimony was taken into account while making the final decision.
Once the verdict was handed out, Heard’s lawyers blamed the social media for blindly siding with Depp and vilifying Heard, which swayed the jury’s decision. The juror specifically denied the possibility of that happening as three out of the seven jurors didn’t even have a Twitter account.
The juror said:
“That’s not true. Social media did not impact us. We followed the evidence. We didn’t take into account anything outside [the courtroom]. We only looked at the evidence.”
Referring to Depp and Heard’s attorneys, the juror said the actor’s team (Ben Chews and social media star Camille Vasquez) was “sharp” whereas Heard’s team had “sharp elbows,” as they continued to interrupt abruptly.
Before announcing the verdict on June 1st, the court agreed to Heard’s request of sealing the name of the juror for a year. However, the document didn’t state why such a decision was made.
While speaking to Today this week, Heard said she plans on appealing in the summer. She still believes the juror’s decision was affected by the influence of social media and Depp’s status and his legal team marring her reputation.
Depp will be returning to the court next month along with Vasquez representing him once again for a personal injury lawsuit filed against him by Gregg “Rocky” Brooks who claims Depp punched him twice in the ribs, before saying he’ll pay him $100,000 for punching him back in the face back in 2017. Depp’s attorneys say their client was “provoked” by Brooks during a conversation and Depp only acted in self-defense.
Apparently, Amber Heard has been seen going on TV interviews making allegations on the jury and claiming how she still loves Depp. What do you think? Is there an ounce of truth in her words? Let us know your thoughts and comments right below.
Jane Davies
