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"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 ...
Transcript
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.

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