'First Amendment doesn't protect lies': Camille Vasquez tells jury before deliberations begin
Camille Vasquez, the most valuable part of Johnny Depp's legal team, put out some commendable arguments against Amber Heard during her closing statement. The 38-year-old attorney spoke about the 'Aquaman' actress' First Amendment rights with regard to the opinion editorial that she had written for The Washington Post in 2018.
During her closing statement on May 27, 2022, Vasquez told the jury, "But the First Amendment doesn't protect lies that hurt and defame people. And there's a difference. Ms Heard has no right to tell the world that Mr Depp physically or sexually assaulted her when that isn't true."
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Vasquez went on to persuade the members of the jury as to why they should vote in favor of Depp. Vasquez explained, "It is a core value of American society that you're innocent until proven guilty," adding, "There is a presumption of innocence in this country. A person's life cannot and should not be destroyed by a baseless charge and no opportunity to defend yourself."
Vasquez put forward the argument that Heard cannot really prove that she suffered damages. This follows the fact that Depp's former attorney Adam Waldman accused Heard of orchestrating an "abuse hoax: in 2020. Though the bad press from Waldman's statements cannot be connected to the press Heard has received, Vasquez explained to the jury that Heard's legal team calculated her damages by taking estimates from other famous actors like Jason Momoa or Zendaya which make no sense. "Ms Heard has presented no evidence, none, of any film or other projects that she has lost because of the statements," Vasquez said.
Speaking about the text messages the former couple shared, Vasquez said Depp has a "dark sense of humor". She informed the court, "Mr Depp owns text messages, he acknowledges that he said those things and said things he shouldn't have. But using bad language and colorful humor does not mean that you are a violent abuser."
Talking about the audio clips that have been admitted as evidence, Vasquez said, "The evidence overwhelmingly shows that Ms Heard is an abuser and that she is a liar. She lied about Mr Depp and took on the role of a lifetime as a public figure representing abuse."
"While you deliberate, ask yourselves why Mr Depp would put himself through this," Vasquez expressed. "Exposing every embarrassing detail of his life on national television if he was guilty of anything, anything, that Ms Heard accuses him of," she concluded.