Jurors at Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s bombshell defamation trial could come back with a big cash verdict for the winning side — even if the celebrities don’t come off as sympathetic, legal experts told The Post.
The seven jurors have been hearing about the warring Hollywood pair’s problems for five weeks, and been told about their large movie paydays and jet-setting lifestyle, including to Depp’s private island in the Bahamas.
“Ordinarily people look at these two and think there are more sympathetic characters to worry about than Johnny Depp’s ex-wife,” said Virginia defamation lawyer Jeremiah Denton.
Still, that might not stop the jury from awarding a large sum in damages, Denton and other experts said.
“They could be really unsympathetic but they could come back and say it’s mathematically probable that I’ve lost at least $25 million in future income,” Denton said. “Well then, it’s kind of hard to turn your back on that.”
Depp, 58, had forensic accountant Michael Spindler testify at the Fairfax, Virginia, trial that he lost $40 million in income following Heard’s 2018 Washington Post op-ed calling herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
His talent manager Jack Whigham also took the stand, saying Heard’s essay sank a $22.5 million deal with Disney to continue Depp’s role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise.
Heard hasn’t yet called a witness to discuss her alleged $100 million financial losses from her claims that Depp and his lawyer defamed her when they denied her abuse allegations. On Thursday, though, Heard’s talent agent Jessica Kovacevic testified that Heard’s career prospects tanked after the claims that she was lying.
Even if Depp or Heard proves they were defamed, they also have to prove that the defamatory statements caused financial losses totaling $50 million and $100 million, respectively.
Texas civil lawyer Katherine Lizardo agreed that hearing about celeb lives could make jurors less sympathetic, but noted that jurors may be invested in the larger issues at play in the case including perjury, defamation and domestic violence.
