A jury ended a second day of deliberations Tuesday without reaching a verdict on the libel claims of Johnny Depp and ex-wife amber heard for his volatile and unhappy marriage.
The seven-person civilian jury resumed deliberations Tuesday morning. After hearing closing arguments and deliberating for about two hours on Friday, Judge Penney Azcarate excused the jury for the long Memorial Day weekend.
Jurors deliberated for seven hours Tuesday and are scheduled to resume deliberations Wednesday in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Judge Azcarate is expected to read the verdict when it is reached.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million, accusing her of slandering him with a 2018 op-ed she wrote describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard filed a $100 million countersuit against the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star after her attorney called her allegations a hoax. Each accuses the other of destroying her career.
Read the closing arguments:Johnny Depp, the Amber Heard defamation case is in the hands of the jury.
Testimony during the six-week trial presented a litany of lurid details from their brief marriage. Heard testified that Depp physically or sexually assaulted her more than a dozen times. During his testimony, Depp testified that he never hit Heard, that she made up the abuse allegations and that she was the one who physically attacked him multiple times.
During closing arguments, both sides told the jury that a verdict in their favor would bring their clients back to life.
On Tuesday, Depp’s lawyers asked Judge Azcarate to instruct the jury to ignore part of the closing argument presented by Heard’s lawyer.
In their written motion, Depp’s lawyers said Heard’s lawyer told the jury that his decision in the case would send a message to “all victims of domestic abuse everywhere.” Heard’s attorney, Benjamin Rottenborn, told the jury that a ruling against Heard “sends a message that no matter what you do as an abuse victim, you always have to do more.”
“No matter how honest you are about your own imperfections and your own shortcomings in a relationship, you have to be perfect for people to believe you. Don’t send that message,” Rottenborn said.
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Depp’s lawyers argued that Rottenborn’s argument improperly asked the jury to focus on a broader societal goal than the case they are being asked to decide.
“Such an argument by Ms. Heard’s attorney improperly invites the jury to decide the case ‘on the basis of passion and prejudice’ and specific jury instruction is needed to cure this impropriety,” Depp’s attorneys argued.
The judge told Depp’s lawyers in court that she would not consider the motion because the case is now before the jury.
A Heard public relations firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the motion.
Opinion:Amber Heard lost in the court of public opinion. Johnny Depp fans made sure of that.
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Contributions: Denise Lavoie, The Associated Press; Amy Haneline, USA TODAY
Reference-www.usatoday.com