Johnny Depp's courtroom shenanigans may have lost him the jury and the trial: Experts
Johnny Depp has earned a plethora of followers, with some even gathering outside the Virginia courtroom, throughout his prolonged $50 million (£38 million) lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard. All of this appears to be in Depp's favor, but former deputy district attorney from LA, Emily D. Baker, is pretty skeptical about whether he has the jury on his side too.
With over 7.7 billion views on TikTok, the hashtag #justiceforjohnnydepp has expanded across other social media channels. Depp's reactions to some of the statements have been praised, including the actor laughing at Heard's lawyer, giggling about the front desk employee vaping and driving while testifying, and laughing when Heard said his breath smelled like cannabis and booze on one occasion. While these emotions may have made Depp famous outside the courtroom, Baker believes the jury may have a different opinion.
READ MORE
Is Jason Momoa Team Johnny Depp? Amber Heard's ‘Aquaman’ co-star follows him on Instagram
Baker stated, "When he was saying 'Yes, Mr. Rottenborn,' and 'Object to another one, Mr. Rottenborn,' and this kind of back and forth, he did eventually get admonished by the judge to knock it off. The public might love that (but) the jury might find it very, very off putting."
Outside of the courtroom, fans and supporters of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star have been videotaped booing Heard, which Baker believes has the potential to 'hurt Johnny Depp's side' and influence the jury in Heard's favor. While jurors are not allowed to look into the case or debate it outside of the courthouse, Baker stated that fans have managed to gain access, and it may be difficult for jurors to ignore the atmosphere building around the case between the two actors.
"If the jurors leaving the courthouse see people out there booing, I think that could actually make them more empathetic to her. For me, that kind of stuff crosses the line. What's playing out in court is playing out in court, but I just don't think there's that need for vitriol outside of a courthouse," Baker claimed.
Depp filed the case against Heard in 2018 in response to an op-ed piece she published for The Washington Post. Though Depp's name was not included in the article, Depp claimed that Heard's claim that she was a victim of domestic violence during their marriage harmed not just his business but also his reputation.
Baker has claimed that if jurors witness Depp supporters booing and attempting to silence her, they may conclude that Heard's op-ed piece, about women speaking out against powerful men, is exactly what is playing out in real life. The former district attorney issued a warning said, "That could just impact their state of mind where they're like, 'I'm watching this happen.' It can just be something in their mind saying, you know, she wasn't a hundred percent wrong in this article."
