The article that made Johnny Depp slap Amber Heard with a $50 million lawsuit.
Johnny Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard for a piece she wrote in The Washington Post about being a domestic abuse survivor. Read the full article here.
The world is watching Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard in Fairfax, Virginia court, and they seem deeply confused by it. In a bizarre move, the Court TV has even broadcast the entire trial, where several people watched and discussed the high-profile celebrity case of the year — its messiness, its scandal, and the question of what to believe and how much. It all started when Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard with a $50 million lawsuit for defamation over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post. In her article, the actress claimed that she was a domestic abuse survivor. If you haven't read the article yet, we have got you covered.
Johnny Depp is suing Amber Heard for defamation because of an op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post in 2018. In the op-ed, headlined “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change,” Heard never mentioned Depp. However, she referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Amber Heard's article started with, "I was exposed to abuse at a very young age. I knew certain things early on, without ever having to be told. I knew that men have the power — physically, socially and financially — and that a lot of institutions support that arrangement. I knew this long before I had the words to articulate it, and I bet you learned it young, too. Like many women, I had been harassed and sexually assaulted by the time I was of college age. But I kept quiet — I did not expect filing complaints to bring justice. And I didn’t see myself as a victim. Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out."
Amber further wrote about how her friends and family said she won't get to work as an actress again. Several movies even blacklisted her and she got dropped from a global fashion brand too. She discovered how "institutions protect men accused of abuse." Amber also brought up the #MeToo movement in her article.
Amber Heard wrote, "In recent years, the #MeToo movement has taught us about how power like this works, not just in Hollywood but in all kinds of institutions — workplaces, places of worship or simply in particular communities. In every walk of life, women are confronting these men who are buoyed by social, economic and cultural power. And these institutions are beginning to change. We are in a transformative political moment. The president of our country has been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual misconduct, including assault and harassment. Outrage over his statements and behavior has energized a female-led opposition. #MeToo started a conversation about just how profoundly sexual violence affects women in every area of our lives. And last month, more women were elected to Congress than ever in our history, with a mandate to take women’s issues seriously. Women’s rage and determination to end sexual violence are turning into a political force."
Further in her article, Amber mentioned ways on how institutions can be protective towards women. She said that "Congress can reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act," which is "one of the most effective pieces of legislation enacted to fight domestic violence and sexual assault." She further mentioned how that Act helps the women in the country, and also prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ survivors.
Amber Heard concluded her article in a very strong note. She wrote, "I write this as a woman who had to change my phone number weekly because I was getting death threats. For months, I rarely left my apartment, and when I did, I was pursued by camera drones and photographers on foot, on motorcycles and in cars. Tabloid outlets that posted pictures of me spun them in a negative light. I felt as though I was on trial in the court of public opinion — and my life and livelihood depended on myriad judgments far beyond my control.
I want to ensure that women who come forward to talk about violence receive more support. We are electing representatives who know how deeply we care about these issues. We can work together to demand changes to laws and rules and social norms — and to right the imbalances that have shaped our lives."
ABOUT JOHNNY DEPP AND AMBER HEARD
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met on the sets of The Rum Diary in 2009 and started dating a few years later. In 2015, they got married. In 2016, Heard filed for divorce and alleged that Depp had physically abused her during their marriage under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Depp denied the accusations and stated that Heard was "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse." Their divorce was finalised in 2017.
