Lawyer: Heard was ‘demonized’ by Depp team, social media
Associated PressFAIRFAX, Va. — Amber Heard was “demonized” by ex-husband Johnny Depp’s legal team and excoriated on social media during a sensational defamation trial that ended with a jury ordering her to pay Depp $15 million, Heard’s lawyer said Thursday. Elaine Bredehoft, one of Heard’s lead attorneys during the trial, said she believes the jury was influenced by a relentless barrage of social media posts condemning her and supporting Depp. Depp attorney Camille Vasquez said Wednesday that the verdict “confirms what we have said from the beginning, that the claims against Johnny Depp are defamatory and unsupported by any evidence.” When asked on “Today” whether Heard has the money to pay the $10.35 million, Bredehoft said, “Oh, no, absolutely not.” The jury also awarded Heard $2 million in her countersuit, concluding that she was defamed by a lawyer for Depp who accused her of creating a detailed hoax surrounding the abuse allegations. Heard enumerated more than a dozen alleged assaults, including a fight in Australia — where Depp was shooting a “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequel — in which Depp lost the tip of his middle finger and Heard said she was sexually assaulted with a liquor bottle.