The defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard comes to a close at Fairfax Magistrates' Court on Friday, and its outcome remains uncertain, but the "Pirate of the Caribbean" can count on widespread support in the street and on social networks.
The mutual accusations are heavy, however. Johnny Depp claims that his ex-wife ruined his reputation by claiming, in a column published in 2018, that he had been a victim of domestic violence two years earlier. He rejects these allegations and is claiming 50 million in damages.
Amber Heard, 36, has counter-attacked and is demanding double the amount, claiming she suffered years of violence, including a rape in 2015, and accusing her ex-husband of wanting to "ruin her career".
The public for Johnny
Every morning, several hundred people greet the actor outside the courthouse in this small Virginia town near Washington, compared to a handful of placards in favour of Amber Heard. On social networks, the advantage is also clearly in favour of the 58-year-old actor. Passions are running high on Twitter and TikTok, where with 15.3 billion "views" on Tuesday, the hashtag "Justice for Johnny Depp" far outstripped "I'm with Amber Heard" (8.4 million).
"Nothing surprises me about social networks and celebrities", and this case concerns "two major celebrities", Jason Mollica, professor of communications at American University, told AFP. According to Mollica, Johnny Depp is a world-famous actor who has always shunned the mundane and retained the "mysterious side" that fans love.
Amber Heard, on the other hand, is much less well known. Since the beginning of the trial, she has tried to appear "more normal and close to people", according to Mr Mollica, but her former assistant, Kate James, described her personality as "aggressive" and "theatrical".
Internet users "express their opinions without being experts in justice", says the former journalist. This trial has revealed "the flashiest sides of the case, but we may never get to the truth, buried in the muddy waters of social networks".
Hostility towards Amber
Hostility towards Amber Heard, the civil rights organisation ACLU's domestic violence ambassador, has a long history. The actress' career "was on the verge of a meteoric rise" after the global success of "Aquaman" released at the end of 2018, entertainment industry expert Kathryn Arnold said on Monday. But she suffered "a lot of negative publicity" after the op-ed published in the "Washington Post", she added.
The cyberstalking campaigns generally followed statements made by one of Johnny Depp's lawyers and surrounded the actor's first defamation lawsuit in London in 2020, according to Ron Schnell, an expert in social network analysis.
The future of #MeToo
In an opinion piece, the "New York Times" recently feared that the outcome of the trial, if the jurors did not find in favour of Amber Heard, could mean the "death" of the #MeToo movement against violence against women. "I don't think it will influence victims in their willingness or otherwise to report abuse", says Shana Maier, Professor of Criminal Justice at Widener University.
Similarly, she dismisses the risk of "backlash against victims or women's associations". She stresses that this trial has the merit of "highlighting the issue of domestic violence". "There will always be people who will say of Amber Heard: "Why did she say that if it didn't happen?" agrees Jason Mollica.
A precedent?
However, Mr Mollica believes that this case could influence other celebrity defamation cases, such as the one brought by singer Marilyn Manson, a friend of Johnny Depp, against his ex-girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood.
Jury selection could thus be complicated if one of the rocker's lawyers believes that "the jurors may not know all the facts, but they know the names Depp, Heard and Manson, and that alone prevents them from being impartial", says Jason Mollica. For Shana Maier, on the other hand, the Marilyn Manson trial "will be judged on its own merits".
Text by Le Matin.ch (AFP)
FR 
EN 
DE