Amber Heard Lawyers’ Closing Argument Focuses on Her Right to Speak: No Need to ‘Prove Abuse’
thewrap.comlaid out its final case, telling the jury that Heard’s stories of abuse and sexual assault were the fabrications of a “deeply troubled” person bent on destroying the “Pirates” actor’s reputation and career after their tempestuous marriage went sour.But Rottenborn suggested to the jury that The Washington Post op-ed at the center of the case was protected by the First Amendment – even if there were no proof that Depp committed any of the horrifying physical and sexual abuse she alleged during the six-week trial.“You can weigh this case … by determining that those statements are true and protected by the First Amendment,” Rottenborn said. “If Amber was abused just one time, then she wins.
And we’re not just talking about physical abuse. We’re talking about emotional abuse. We’re talking about verbal abuse.”Testimony began April 12 and is barreling toward an on-schedule conclusion, with the jury likely to get the case before the Memorial Day Weekend break.Depp is suing Heard for $50 million, claiming her 2018 Washington Post op-ed defamed him.
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