The jury deliberations in the Amber Heard defamation trial have begun, according to Johnny Depp.
After a six-week trial in Virginia, jury deliberations in the high-profile defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have begun.

Mr. Depp, 58, has filed a $50 million (£40 million) lawsuit against his ex-wife over an essay she authored in which she claims to be an abuse victim. Ms. Heard, 36, filed a countersuit for $100 million.

“Hold Ms Heard accountable for her ‘falsehoods,'” Mr Depp’s lawyer begged jurors.

Mr Depp, according to Ms Heard’s staff, is a bully and abuser who should not be trusted.

For a verdict, the jury of seven must reach a unanimous conclusion. They started deliberating soon after both sides finished their final arguments.

Ms Heard’s lawyer, Benjamin Rottenborn, reminded jurors of graphic text exchanges between Mr Depp and his associates, in which he expressed his desire to hurt his ex-wife.
Mr Rottenborn stated, “This is a doorway into the heart and mind of America’s favourite pirate.” “This is the genuine Johnny Depp,” says the narrator.

Ms Heard’s accusations of abuse, on the other hand, were described as “wild, over-the-top, and impossible” by Mr Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez.

Ms Vasquez added, “There is an abuser in this courtroom, but it is not Mr Depp,” referring to an audio recordings clip in which the actress admits to assaulting her then-husband.

“Ms Heard repeatedly verbally, physically, and emotionally abused Mr Depp,” she stated.

The arguments on Friday mimicked much of the previous six weeks of testimony, in which both parties gave opposing portrayals of the former couple’s five-year relationship.

Mr Depp, according to Ms Heard and her lawyers, is an unstable and vicious man who is prone to drug or alcohol binges and aggressive behaviour.

Ms Heard grew tearful while testifying on Thursday, telling jurors of the “harassment, humiliation, and campaign against me that’s replicated every single day on social media and now in front of cameras, in this room.”

Mr Depp painted a very different image, stating that Ms Heard was a controlling wife who mistreated and humiliated him. On the stand, he said that his ex-wife had a “need” for confrontation and violence, and that she had physically harmed him.

Ms. Heard wrote an op-ed in 2018 in which she described her experience as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”

“For women who speak up, I felt the full weight of our culture’s fury,” she wrote. “I had the unique opportunity to observe in real time how institutions shield guys accused of sexual misconduct.”

Ms Vasquez said on Friday that the story was a fabrication that had harmed Mr Depp’s reputation, despite the fact that the essay did not specifically identify him.

Mr. Rottenborn, Ms Heard’s lawyer, requested the jury to concentrate on Ms Heard’s words in the account while reaching their conclusion.

He stated that the lawsuit is “not about who is the better spouse.” “It’s not about whether you believe Ms Heard is guilty.”

Mr. Depp has been abused.”

“If you believe they were both abusive to each other,” he continued, “Amber wins.” “If Amber Heard has been abused even once, she wins.”

Hundreds of shouting admirers welcomed Mr. Depp outside the courtroom on Friday morning, as they had done on most days of the trial.

The celebrity case, which was televised live every day, drew a lot of attention from the public as both performers accused one other of emotional, physical, and verbal abuse.

Amber Heard claimed abuse never happened according to Johnny Depp