The jury, which had to come to a unanimous decision for a verdict, had to decide whether the passages in the Post were defamatory.
Heard’s lawyers said they presented a mountain of evidence that Heard was abused. But they said that even if the jury were somehow to believe that she was never abused even a single time, she should still prevail in the lawsuit.
That’s because libel law spells out several factors that must be considered. First, the alleged defamatory statements have to be about the plaintiff. Heard’s lawyers said the article is not about Depp at all. He’s not mentioned, and they said the focus is on Heard’s experience about the aftermath of speaking out. Those statements remain objectively true even if she wasn’t in fact abused, her lawyers contended.
Depp's lawyers, though, argued that free-speech rights have limits.
“The First Amendment doesn’t protect lies that hurt and defame people,” Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez said in closing statements.
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