The Johnny Depp and Amber Heard drama was uncomfortable, unnecessary for the public eye, and above all, a power struggle between two public figures trying to taint the other’s reputation while barely salvaging their own.

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The case was that of an unhealthy and abusive relationship spiraling out of control when a superficially accusatory statement made by Amber Heard in an op-ed resulted in Johnny Depp losing essentially everything.

The 4 years that followed have been a sine wave of humiliating public trials and soaring online tempers.
Johnny Depp during the defamation trial against Amber Heard at the Fairfax County Courthouse
Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard: The Beginning of the 2nd Trial

The Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial which began with its surmounting emotional and legal proceedings had warranted an end.

The June 1 verdict which ruled in Johnny Depp’s favor of the defamation case had been received with massive online cries of triumph — whether right over wrong is still debatable.

However, the celebrity trial of the century did get enough publicity to spark a public message about male victims of abuse and violence now being lent a voice.
Amber Heard challenges the June 1 defamation trial jury’s verdict
The highly publicized and televised courtroom drama between the two Hollywood partisans had been goaded into being not of the jury but the public opinion’s verdict.

Johnny Depp’s decimated reputation was being restored while Amber Heard’s was stripped away. The need to satiate the upholding of their public image played as fuel to the already raging fire.

So the case would of course not be resolved for the losing party.

Amber Heard’s appeal to the June 1 verdict will now pave the way for the second innings of the defamation trial.
Depp v Heard intensifies in the prologue of the second innings
Mass Opinions Still Divided Over the Abuser vs Victim Label

One of the major proponents of the Depp vs Heard defamation trial was the labels attached to the actors for being either an abuser or a victim or both.

Accusations were often deftly thrown to label both parties as “mutual abusers”. Whatever the case be, it began with a headliner on The Sun that called Depp a “wife beater”. 

The libel case, which was decided by a judge in 2020 found him guilty of assault, and he lost the suit against News Group and Dan Wootton.
Johnny Depp fans come out of hibernation in support of the actor
This, later, played into the Twitter discourses and online war of words when the April 2022 trial began.

Currently, Amber Heard is gearing up with her appeal of the latest trial’s verdict which has spurred a social media campaign of hatred and hostility against both parties.

While a faction claims that a female victim’s voice is being suppressed by the more powerful and socio-economically superior male abuser, another faction is hell-bent on smearing Heard’s name for putting on a show and being the master manipulator.

With the Aquaman actress’ appeal underway, Johnny Depp fans who had mostly receded after the climactic battle, are now returning on Twitter to defend Depp and slash Amber Heard’s supporters.

The male vs female discourse in this celebrity trial has taken up the vanguard while debating over the abused vs abuser label.

While misogyny has been a rampant theme throughout the presentation of the self-assured defendant, the court simultaneously also needs to be given credit for its extensive sifting through the gathered evidence.

The op-ed was indeed defaming and that was what Depp was awarded in favor of, not his or Heard’s alleged abuse.