Amber Heard’s used the last six minutes they had remaining to plead with the jury to think of other abuse victims and to ‘give Amber her voice back.’
It’s this simple: If you believe Depp was abusive to Amber one time ever … Then your job is very easy,’ Benjamin Rottenborn siad.
‘The evidence shows Miss Heard did not commit abuse hoaxes … The evidence shows that she was being abuse exactly how not only she, but her witnesses who support her claims, say she was.’
‘You heard Amber Heard on the stand yesterday telling you what she has experienced as a result of Mr. Depp’s promise to bring her global humiliation.’
‘Give Amber Heard her voice back. Give Amber Heard her voice back.’
Heard’s attorney Benjamin Rottenborn speaks at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Friday, May 27, 2022
Vasquez accused Amber Heard lying about being abused and said she took on a ‘role of a lifetime as a public figure representing abuse.’
During closing arguments, Vasquez pointed to Heard’s statements caught on audio recording where she admitted to hitting Depp, as being evidence of abuse.
‘The evidence overwhelmingly shows that Ms. heard is an abuser and that she is a liar,’ Vasquez said. ‘She lied about Mr. Depp and took on the role of a lifetime as a public figure representing abuse. ‘
She went on to add that Heard attempted to make herself the representative for abusers, but she ‘does not deserve’ that role.
‘While you deliberate, ask yourselves why Mr. Depp would put himself through this,’ Vasquez said. ‘Exposing every embarrassing detail of his life on national television if he was guilty of anything, anything, that Ms. Heard accuses him of.’
In Vasquez’ rebuttal Friday, she pushed back against Heard’s argument that it was her First Amendment right to publish her 2018 opinion editorial.
‘But the First Amendment doesn’t protect lies that hurt and defame people,’ Vasquez said. ‘And there’s a difference. Ms. Heard has no right to tell the world that Mr. Depp physically or sexually assaulted her when that isn’t true.’
‘It is a core value of American society that you’re innocent until proven guilty,’ Vasquez said. ‘There is a presumption of innocent in this country. A person’s life cannot an d should not be destroyed by a baseless charge and no opportunity to defend yourself.’
Closing arguments in the Depp vs. Heard trial have ended and the jury has been sent out to begin deliberations.
Judge Penney Azcarate instructed the jury on the next steps.
The jury will now decide on both Depp’s $50 million suit and Heard’s $100 million countersuit.
‘While you deliberate, ask yourself why Mr. Depp would put himself through this? Exposing every detail of his life on national television.’
Vasquez then returns to her seat and hugs Depp.
It’s the big question in the high-profile case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard that has captured viewers from around the world.
When will the verdict be released?
Both sides presented their closing arguments Friday morning. They are now giving their rebuttal arguments ahead of jury deliberation.
Jury deliberation is expected to begin Friday afternoon. A verdict could come as soon as Friday evening.
If the jury does not make a decision, they will return on Tuesday at 9 a.m. to deliberate. No deliberations will take place over the weekend or Monday, which is a holiday.
Depp is hoping the trial will help restore his reputation, though it has turned into a spectacle with cameras in the courtroom capturing every twist to an increasingly rapt audience as fans weighed in on social media and lined up overnight for coveted courtroom seats.
‘This case for Mr. Depp has never been about money,’ said Depp lawyer Benjamin Chew. ‘It is about Mr. Depp’s reputation and freeing him from the prison in which he has lived for the last six years.’
Heard’s lawyer, J. Benjamin Rottenborn, said the lawsuit is not about Depp´s reputation but is part of an ongoing smear campaign Depp launched after Heard filed for divorce.
Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez took over the rebuttal arguments after lunch on Friday accusing Heard’s team of mischaracterizing witness testimony.
Vasquez also accused Heard of lying.
‘She has come too far, she can’t back down,’ Vasquez said. ‘She’s lied too many times to too many people.’
Vasquez alleged Heard’s lies began six years ago today, when she filed for a TRO and publicly accused Depp of domestic violence.
‘Her story is a constantly moved target. It never stays the same. Mr. Depp owns his mistakes. You saw him doing that on the stand.’
Court resumes with rebuttal arguments from both sides
Court has resumed after breaking for lunch and now jurors will hear rebuttal arguments from both sides.
Depp’s team is allotted 39 minutes.
Heard’s team is allotted six minutes.
Jury deliberations are expected to begin this afternoon. If a jury cannot agree on a verdict, they will return on Tuesday at 9 a.m. to deliberate. No deliberations will take place over the weekend or Monday, which is a holiday.
Watch the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial live on DailyMail.com’s homepage.
Johnny Depp pumped his fist excitedly in the air and smiled at fans during lunch break at Fairfax County Courthouse Friday.
The actor held an umbrella with one hand as he walked outside.
A weather alert blasted through the courtroom during closing arguments earlier. It was initially thought to be an Amber Alert but later determined a weather alert.
Rain and severe storms pummeled Fairfax, Virginia today and a flood warning is in effect.
But the bad weather didn’t dampen the spirit of fans as they stood outside wearing rain ponchos huddled under umbrellas hoping for a glimpse of Depp.
Johnny Depp gestures to fans during a break on the final day of his defamation trial against Amber Heard in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., May 27, 2022
Fans wait in the rain for a glimpse of actor Johnny Depp on the final day of his defamation trial against Amber Heard in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., May 27, 2022
Fans wait in the rain for a glimpse of actor Johnny Depp
Bredehoft says Heard hasn’t made full $7M she pledged to ACLU because she’s had to pay $6M in lawyer fees
Heard’s attorney said the actress still intends to play the pledges she made to the ACLU and the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
During closing arguments, Bredehoft said she had not been able to pay the full $7M because she’s had extraordinarily high legal fees since Depp’s lawsuit.
In Heard’s testimony earlier in the trial, she said it was Depp suing her that kept her from fulfilling her pledge to donate her entire $7million divorce settlement.
However, Heard has claimed several times – including under oath in Depp’s 2020 libel case in the UK – that she had donated the entire settlement to charity.
She finally admitted on the stand while being questioned by Camille Vasquez that she she failed to pay what she had pledged.
In the second part of closing arguments for Heard’s team, her lawyer Elaine Bredehoft shot down the other side’s suggestion that her abuse allegations are a ‘hoax.’
‘They have said she has this whole hoax … but what would Amber Heard’s motive be for creating a hoax or creating any of this or making any of this up?’
Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft speaks during closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse
Judge Penney Azcarate released jurors and the rest of the courtroom for a one-hour lunch break.
Rebuttal arguments will take place when court resumes this afternoon.
Judge Azcarate ‘personally guarantees’ the jury that the rebuttal arguments will not be longer than a combined 45 minutes.
Court is expected to resume at 2:10 p.m. ET. Depp’s team has 39 minutes to present and Heard’s team has six minutes.
Amber Heard wiped away tears and looked upset while her lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn rattled off the many instances that Heard was allegedly abused.
She rubbed her head before taking a few deep breaths and composing herself.
Amber Heard wipes away tears during her lawyer’s closing argument
Heard’s attorneys argued that she had told the truth and that her comments were covered as free speech under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
‘Your key question to answer is ‘does the First Amendment give Ms. Heard the right to write the words she wrote?’ Rottenborn told the jury. ‘You cannot simultaneously uphold the First Amendment and find in favor of Johnny Depp.’
Heard’s lawyer, Rottenborn, played a video in court that had been recorded by Heard, showing Depp slamming kitchen cabinets.
Rottenborn turned to jurors and asked, ‘do you see Miss Heard laughing in that? She’s not laughing in that.’
‘Mr. Depp in this courtroom right now is laughing and making snide remarks as that video is being played, but it’s not a laughing matter,’ he told jurors.’
‘Who does that?’ he asked. ‘Who does that?’
Closing arguments were briefly disrupted Friday morning when an Amber Alert went off, sending emergency alert sounds throughout the courtroom.
Heard’s lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn paused before the judge encouraged him to continue.
‘People are getting it I guess on their phones that haven’t been silenced,’ Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate said, adding ‘but I think we are okay.’
The alert went off a second time but Rottenborn continued his remarks.
Heard lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn, in his closing argument, reminded jurors of explicit text messages allegedly from Depp to friends or associates.
‘Hopefully that c—t’s rotting corpse is decomposing in the f——g trunk of a Honda civic,’ a text from 2016 read.
In another text, Depp allegedly wrote about have sex with Heard’s ‘burnt corpse.’++
‘I have no mercy, no fear and not an ounce of emotion, or what I once thought was love for this gold digging, low level, dime a dozen, mushy, pointless dangling overused flappy fish market,’ Depp wrote in a different text.
Rottenborn pointed to these texts in his closing arguments.
‘These words are a window into the heart and mind of America’s favorite pirate,’ he said. ‘This is the real Johnny Depp.’
Heard’s attorney, Benjamin Rottenborn, begin closing arguments for their side after a 15-minute morning break.
He told the jury ‘if Amber was abused by Mr. Depp even one time, then she wins.’
‘And we’re not just talking about physical abuse,’ he said, adding that it also included ’emotional abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse.’
Rottenborn started his closing arguments, he asked the jury to consider what kind of message Depp’s team is sending to victims of domestic violence.
‘Think about the message that Mr. Depp and his attorneys are sending to Amber, and by extension to every victim of domestic abuse everywhere,’ Rottenborn said. ‘If you didn’t take pictures, it didn’t happen. If you did take pictures, they’re fake. If you didn’t tell your friends, you’re lying. If you did tell your friends, they’re part of the hoax.’
‘If you didn’t seek medical treatment, you weren’t injured,’ Rottenborn continued. ‘If you did seek medical treatment, you’re crazy. If you do everything that you can to help your spouse, the person you love, rid himself of the crushing drug and alcohol abuse that spins him into rage filled monster you’re a nag.’
He add that ‘in Depp’s world, if you leave him, he will do everything he can to start a ‘campaign of global humiliation against you’ and destroy your life.’
‘And that’s what they are trying to get you the jury to be an accomplice to.’
Amber Heard’s attorney Benjamin Rottenborn speaks during closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse
Heard speaks with her legal team in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, USA, 27 May 2022. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a ‘public figure representing domestic abuse.’
Johnny Depp waved at his adoring fans during a morning break Friday.
The actor arrived to court this morning where he smiled at the crowd and gave a thumbs up from his car.
One fan was dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow.
Another fan held a sign that read: ‘This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow’ which is a quote from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
There are also a few fans of Amber Heard.
One man held a sign reading ‘I stand with Amber.’
Johnny Depp leaves for a break during the Depp v. Heard trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 27, 2022
Johnny Depp fans cheer for the actor outside the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse on the final day of the defamation trial of Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., May 27, 2022
Supporters of actor Johnny Depp wait outside of Fairfax County Courthouse
Supporters of actor Johnny Depp rally outside of Fairfax County Courthouse
Dan Kim, 26, holds a sign in support of Amber Heard amidst throngs of Johnny Depp fans, outside the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse on the final day of the defamation trial of Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., May 27, 2022
Dan Kim, 26, holds a sign in support of Amber Heard amidst throngs of Johnny Depp fans, outside the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse on the final day of the defamation trial
Depp’s attorney, Benjamin Chew, says this case is not about money – but that it’s about fighting for the truth and restoring actor’s tarnished reputation.
‘It has never been about money. Nor is it about punishing Miss Heard. It’s about freeing himself from the prison in which he has lived for the past six years. It’s six years to the day.’
‘This case is about telling you his story and the truth about what really happened. It’s about restoring his reputation. It’s about showing Mr. Depp’s children, Lily-Rose and Jack, that the truth is worth fighting for.’
He told the jury that Depp has never claimed to be perfect , but that did not deserve to have his legacy ‘destroyed by a vicious lie.’
‘The lies have grown and metastasized over time,’ Chew said. ‘And they need to be stopped.’
Chew pointed to the #MeToo movement and firmly stated that no other women came forward.
‘Me Too is an important movement, a movement Mr. Depp supports and believes in,’ Chew said. ‘It’s true survivors of abuse, not Ms. Heard. True victims need protections, and true perpetrators need to face the repercussions.’
#MeToo is a movement from 2017 where many women came forward with allegations of sexual abuse from men in powerful positions.
But no one came forward. Kate Moss testified this week in court that he was never violent toward her.
Chew said Heard was only taking advantage of the #MeToo movement when she wrote the Washington Post op-ed in 2018.
But ‘Heard is not a true victim of abuse,’ Chew said.
‘This is MeToo without any MeToo.’
On this verdict form, there are seven questions per statement, meaning 21 questions in all about the Op-Ed, Depp’s attorney Benjamin Chew said.
He asks jurors to answer ‘yes’ to all questions.
‘He does not deserve to have his life and legacy destroyed by a vicious lie,’ Chew said.
‘To tarnish him as an abuser, is to destroy him in the eyes of many of these [fans], who will never look at him the same way again.’
‘What we have is a mountain of unproved allegations that are wild, over the top, and implausible,” Camille Vasquez said. ‘And you can’t pick and choose which of these wild allegations to believe and which ones to disregard. You either believe all of it, or none of it.’
‘Either she’s a a victim of truly horrific abuse, or she is a woman who is willingly to say absolutely anything,’ Vasquez said.
Vasquez concludes her portion of the closing argument. Benjamin Chew begins the second half.
‘You have now come to know the real Amber Heard. Scary,’ he said
Vasquez narrowed in on the ‘staircase incident’ and told jurors that Heard’s sister, Whitney Henriquez, is the only person who backs Heard’s story that Depp hit Henriquez.
Henriquez had previously testified that she was at the penthouse with Heard and Depp during a fight. She said Depp struck her in the back and Heard then hit Depp.
But Depp argued Wednesday that Heard unleased her abuse not only on him, but also on her sister.
He told the court that he recalled seeing Heard grab her sister Whitney Henriquez and ‘push her around.’
Vasquez, 37, is the junior attorney from Brown Rudnick who has stolen the spotlight at Depp’s epic $50million defamation trial.
The budding attorney has wowed viewers with her meticulous cross-examination of Amber Heard, her rapid fire questioning and intense showdowns with the actress.
Vasquez also sparked feverish gossip online over her supposed close connection with Depp and their ‘flirty’ body language, though reports suggest their relationship is strictly professional – and she already has a boyfriend.
She was handed the leading role at the last moment when Depp’s team vetoed a plan to have well-known TV ‘super lawyer’ Kathleen Zellner grill his ex-wife.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 58, hired Zellner of Making a Murderer fame in February after binge-watching episodes of the hit Netflix show in which she battles to clear convicted killer Steven Avery.
With her decades of success in overturning wrongful convictions, Depp felt Zellner, 64, had the gravitas and experience to pick holes in Heard’s evidence.
But DailyMail.com understands his existing legal team led by experienced attorney Ben Chew cautioned against integrating Zellner into the complicated case at the eleventh hour – and the job went instead to Vasquez, an associate at Chew’s high-profile law firm Brown Rudnick.
Johnny Depp’s attorney Camille Vasquez gives closing arguments during Depp’s defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse on May 27, 2022
Vasquez arrived wearing all white as she headed into the courthouse Friday morning
Vasquez Depp listen in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, USA, 23 May 2022
Depp hugs attorney Camille Vasquez in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Vasquez painted a picture for the jury of how Heard portrayed the image of a battered woman and set up the scene outside the courthouse six years ago on the day she filed for a restraining order and a photo of Heard with a bruised face was captured by paparazzi.
‘The photos captured what she wanted them to see: an image of a battered woman,’ Vasquez said. ‘What the paparazzi didn’t know is the dark mark on her face mysteriously appeared six days after seeing Mr. Depp. It was a lie. She knew it. Mr. Depp knew it. And the multiple witnesses you heard from knew it.’
Vasquez argued that it would be Depp who attempt to leave to de-escalate their arguments.
‘You also Heard overwhelming evidence from Mr. Depp and the people that were around him and Ms. Heard during the relationship that Mr. Depp suffered persistent verbal and physical abuse at the hands of Miss Heard.’
Vasquez plays an audio recording, in which Heard admits to hitting Depp.
But Vasquez pointed out that, ‘What you didn’t hear in a single recording you heard in this case … is Mr. Depp ever admitting to hitting, punching or kicking Miss Heard. You didn’t hear it. It doesn’t exist. It didn’t happen.’
Johnny Depp’s attorney Camille Vasquez gives closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, USA, 27 May 2022. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a ‘public figure representing domestic abuse.’ EPA/STEVE HELBER / POOL
Johnny Depp’s attorney Camille Vasquez begins closing arguments for Depp’s team.
She transports the jury back to May 27, 2016, exactly six years ago today, when Heard filed for the TRO.
‘Today, on May 27, 2022, exactly six years later we ask you to give Mr. Depp his life back by telling the world that Mr. Depp is not the abuse Ms. Heard said he is and hold Ms. Heard accountable for her lies,’ Vasquez told the jury.
She reminded them that they’ve been ‘entrusted with a serious task.’
‘What is at stake in this trial is a man’s good name,’ Vasquez said. ‘Even more, what is at stake at this trial is a man’s life, the life that he lost when he was accused of a heinous crime.’
Vasquez played audio recordings of Heard to push home her claims that Heard was the abuser and not Depp.
‘There is an abuser in this courtroom, but it is not Mr. Depp,’ Vasquez said. ‘There is a victim of domestic violence in this courtroom, but it is not Miss Heard.’
Judge Azcarate told jurors that in order for the jury to reach a favorable verdict for Heard, they must determine the statements made by Adam Waldman were done so with actual malice.
Actual malice is knowing that something is false; or acting with reckless disregard for the statement’s truth or falsity.
Heard’s $100M countersuit centers around her claim that Depp and his former attorney Adam Waldman defamed her in multiple statements to the press after she published the 2018 op-ed at the heart of Depp’s suit.
In those statements, Waldman called Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse a ‘hoax’ and an ‘ambush’ orchestrated by the Aquaman actor and her friends.
Judge Azcarate also to jurors they must read the entire op-ed, and can’t seize on any ‘one word, phrase or image.’
In order for them to side with Depp on these points, jurors must find that Heard acted with knowledge that the statement was false or willful disregard for truth.
Amber Heard speaks to her legal team in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate gave jurors jury instructions Friday morning ahead of closing arguments.
‘Ladies and gentleman of the jury, you now have heard all the arguments in this case,’ she said.
She added that a copy of the instructions will be allowed inside the deliberation room with jurors.
Judge Azcarate noted that the names of the jurors will be sealed for one year ‘due to the high-profile nature of this case.’
Judge Penney Azcarate displays instructions to the jury at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 27, 2022. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Johnny Depp arrived at Fairfax County Courthouse Friday for the final day of trial and was greeted by a crowd of cheering fans.
The jury will hear closing arguments from both sides today. Jury deliberations are expected to begin later today and last into next week.
REMINDER: How to watch a live stream of the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial
The Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial will be live streamed on DailyMail.com’s homepage.
Court is expected to start at 9 a.m. ET. The trial takes place at the Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia.
Each side will have two hours to present closing arguments.
The jury is expected to begin deliberations later this afternoon.
It’s day 24 of Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard.
Closing arguments are set to start at 9 a.m. ET.
After six weeks of dramatic testimony in the high-profile defamation case, the jury is expected to begin deliberations later this afternoon.
Each side will have two hours to summarize their case in a trial that has garnered intense interest and has only gained momentum as fans have weighed in on social media and lined up overnight for coveted courtroom seats.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million in Virginia’s Fairfax County Circuit Court over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as ‘a public figure representing domestic abuse.’
His lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.
Heard filed a $100 million counterclaim against Depp after his lawyer called her allegations a hoax.
Depp says he never struck Heard and that she concocted the abuse allegations to gain an advantage in divorce proceedings.
Heard testified about more than a dozen episodes of physical and sexual assault that she said Depp inflicted on her.
After the jurors were led out to begin deliberations in the high-profile defamation lawsuit between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, Judge Penney Azcarate got a wave of applause from the audience in Fairfax County Courthouse on Friday afternoon.
The final arguments from both sides brought the six weeks of hearing to a conclusion on Friday.
A burst of applause greeted Judge Azcarate as she congratulated the court and the counsel for their professionalism.
‘Well, that’s a first,’ she said laughing.
Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft thanks her, and then Depp’s lawyer Benjamin Chew calls out, ‘That is one thing that Miss Bredehoft and we respectfully disagr– agree. Completely agree!’
The court erupted in laughter.