Johnny Depp's Lawyers Say They Used Amber Heard's Words Against Her & TikTok's Not To Blame
"Social media played no role whatsoever."
Benjamin Chew. Right: Camille Vasquez.
Amber Heard's lawyer is not the only one appearing in interviews on television, as for the first time since the trial, Johnny Depp's legal team shared their side of it in an interview with ABC News.
Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Chew, who took the internet by storm amidst the blockbuster trial, are finally spilling a little extra information about their strategy, and they don't think the social media traction that the trial got is the reason behind the verdict.
Instead, they're pointing fingers at Amber Heard.
According to Camille Vasquez, Depp's legal team's main tactic while cross-examining Heard was "using her words against her."
Vasquez shared that "it was very important" for the legal team to make sure that "every question that was asked was tied to something she had said previously."
"I think the jury got to see and the world got to see and hear from Ms. Heard in that relationship on every single topic," said Vasquez.
"The key to victory was focusing on the facts and the evidence and Johnny's opportunity to speak the truth for the first time."
The two lawyers were asked what they thought about the accusations, especially those made by Heard's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, during a recent interview on the TODAY Show, in which she said that social media played a role in the jury's decision.
Chew responded by saying: "Social media played no role whatsoever."
"This was a decision made by the jury on the evidence presented by both sides, and as Camille said, it was overwhelmingly in Mr. Depp's favour," added Chew.
Depp ultimately won all three parts of his defamation lawsuit against Heard, and the jury awarded him $15 million of the $50 he asked for, although the judge knocked that sum down a bit. Heard convinced the jury of one part of her defamation countersuit, and she was awarded $2 million.
Depp's lawyers argued that the verdict was entirely based on the "facts and evidence" presented in court, despite some concerns that people have raised that the very vocal backlash against Heard seen online might discourage women from speaking out amid the #MeToo movement.
"We're only speaking about what happened in this case," said Vasquez, after she was asked about the wider impact of the verdict.
"We encourage any victim to come forward. Domestic violence doesn't have a gender," added Vasquez.
She had argued in court that Depp was the victim of domestic violence, not Heard.
When asked how Depp reacted to the verdict, Chew said he "was over the moon. It was like the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders, and I feel like finally, after six years, he's got his life back."
Heard is expected to appeal her case.