Jurors in Johnny Depp libel trial ask title questions in editorial by Amber Heard

During the first full day of Johnny Depp’s $ 50 million libel suit against Amber Heard, jurors on Tuesday sent a question about Herds’ title weighting to a judge. Washington Post Opinion article.

The title of the online version of the December 2018 article was: “I have spoken out against sexual violence and I have met the wrath of our culture. This has to change. “

Judge Penny Azkarat said the jury was interested in considering whether the title was defamatory or whether it should be related to the “content of the statement, all in the article”.

“I think there was confusion about this one specifically because the statement in question is the title of the post, so I think they are confused as to whether the whole post is a title or a statement,” he said. . “It is clear that the title is a statement”.

On the jury verdict forms, the title is one of three statements that jurors must weigh in order to determine whether or not to reach a decision in Depp’s favor. The seven jurors must also decide whether the statements are the content of a defamatory article. A statement reads: “So two years ago I became a public figure in domestic violence and I felt the anger of our culture at women expressing themselves.” The second statement is: “I had the opportunity to see in real time how institutions protect men accused of violence.”

Herd’s legal team noted that Depp isn’t mentioned in the article or title, but his legal team says it was clear to readers what his ex-wife was referring to in the article.

Although the content of Herd’s article only covered domestic violence and did not specify whether it was physical or emotional, the title went further by denouncing sexual violence.

During the trial, Herd alleged that Depp had sexually assaulted him during an argument in March 2016, but Depp’s legal team spent a lot of time undermining this claim.

And although his legal group noted that he did not write the title of the article – Editor Mail Did – Depp’s side drew attention to the fact that he posted the article on Twitter, without contesting the title.

Herd has also filed a $ 100 million lawsuit and the jury is considering his allegations that he was vilified in three separate cases, including comments made by Depp’s attorney.