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As Angelina Jolie is dubbed ‘another Amber Heard’, we must face up to the troubling legacy of Depp v Heard

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As Angelina Jolie is dubbed 'another Amber Heard’, we must face up to the troubling legacy of Depp v Heard 5

What precedent has it set for survivors of domestic abuse?

It’s been four months since a Virginia jury found Amber Heard guilty of defaming her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. Nevermind that Depp was also found to have defamed Heard – albeit to a lesser degree – the court of public opinion fell firmly in favour of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor.

Much has been written about the online nature of the trial, which was televised at Depp’s request and available for anyone to watch along at home, mainly in the form of extremely edited TikToks. This enabled viewers to form parasocial relationships with Depp and Heard alike, as the former was lauded as a lovable scamp for eating sweets in court, while many survivors – including, it has to be said, myself – relived their own trauma according to their perception of what Heard endured.

Following a lacklustre comeback appearance at the VMAs and reports of celebrities “unliking” his Instagram post about the trial, much of the fervour surrounding Depp has – mercifully – died down, even to the extent that one Twitter user released a statement apologising for their tweets about Heard during the trial. As individuals – whether in favour of Heard or Depp – start to reflect on their participation in the toxic discourse surrounding Depp v Heard, it’s worth considering the ramifications of the trial on society as a whole.

In the past few days, another case involving a male celebrity suing his ex-partner has dominated much of the headlines. Brad Pitt is currently suing his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, claiming that her decision to sell her stake in their previously shared estate, Chateau Miraval SA, was an attempt to “undermine” his investment and cause him “gratuitous harm.” As part of her counter-claim, Jolie has alleged that Pitt was physically and emotionally abusive to her and their children during a plane trip in September 2016.

[The incident was investigated by the FBI in 2016, resulting in authorities ultimately deciding not to press charges. Pitt has not publicly addressed these claims. However, the BBC reports that a source close to Pitt told the publications that the claims are false.]

 

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