"I think this is going to set back the MeToo movement quite a bit."
After Johnny Depp won the defamation case against Amber Heard, victims of domestic violence are concerned about what this could mean for them. Here's why ...
After Johnny Depp won the defamation case against Amber Heard, victims of domestic violence are concerned about what this could mean for them. Here's why ...
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00:00Ms. Hurd lied, and she lied again, and she kept lying.
00:04Stand up for victims of domestic abuse everywhere who suffer in silence.
00:10Give Amber Hurd her voice back.
00:13This trial and the verdict that came out is going to have a pretty big impact
00:19on survivors and their ability and desire to speak out.
00:30I think this is going to set back the MeToo movement quite a bit.
00:50One of the most powerful, if not the most powerful tools for
00:54survivors of domestic violence is the ability to speak out about the abuse that they're
01:00suffering.
01:01If that's silenced, they're stuck and they are going to be surviving
01:06on their own in silence for who knows how long.
01:20I've been in an ongoing conversation with one particular client.
01:23We are barreling towards trial where she's facing defamation claims for speaking out.
01:30We had been keeping an eye on the Amber Hurd and Johnny Depp trial, and it has been very
01:36triggering.
01:37The verdict, of course, was pretty devastating for her to learn about and certainly has shaken
01:44her confidence, as I think it's shaken a lot of our confidence in this legal system.
01:53So
02:12well, this seems to have been a rough week for Amber Hurd.
02:15And can I say good?
02:17And that's what's been the most sad about seeing these TikTok videos and the social media,
02:22these memes and Saturday Night Live.
02:24It's like they're making fun of essentially, you know, and belittling by making fun of
02:30domestic violence survivors.
02:32Mr. Depp, earlier in this trial, you mentioned that Ms. Hurd left fecal matter in your bed.
02:40That is correct, yes.
02:43I would tell people to think about the fact that there's a statistic that
02:48it's shown only about 5% of those who speak out about domestic violence are shown to have
02:54been untruthful about that.
02:56So victims are usually telling the truth.
02:59And you have to think about why would someone speak out?
03:02It's an enormously difficult thing to speak out and to go public, to seek help, because
03:09you can face quite a number of punitive measures as a result.
03:13This is not something that people choose to do easily or for other reasons.
03:29I was really upset because I've been personally touched by domestic violence.
03:33I've seen it happen firsthand.
03:35If people truly care about those that have been survivors of domestic violence,
03:40they shouldn't adopt this attitude of like a mob mentality here at the courthouse.
03:45If you support someone, that's great.
03:48You're entitled to your own opinions.
03:49But man, just think about the damage that you're doing online,
03:52to this whole Me Too movement, to how people treat domestic violence.
03:58It took so long just for people to stand up to Harvey Weinstein.
04:10Today's verdict confirms what we have said from the beginning,
04:20that the claims against Johnny Depp are defamatory and unsupported by any evidence.
04:26I do think this is a backlash and a pretty intense one.
04:31And this trial was part of that and perhaps will come out to be as one of the most
04:37obvious examples of that backlash.
04:39At the same time, there are laws being passed to protect
04:43victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault, stronger laws around the country.
04:48So that's important.
04:49There are anti-SLAPP laws around the country that exist, that are being strengthened,
04:54that protect those who speak out against their abusers if they're being sued for defamation.
05:02So there are strides being made, but socially and emotionally and psychologically,
05:10I think this trial and the verdict that came out is going to have a pretty big impact on survivors.