As a verdict is possibly hours away, a sense of dread has been building in my stomach for what it will mean for Amber’s future, as well as all victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly as women’s basic rights continue to be under attack in the United States. Like many people who are following the case, I have personal experiences with abuse. Much of my research focuses on IPV, specifically, the disparities in resources and services that are available for survivors to leave their abusers, such as economic, social, geographical barriers. It’s a topic which is deeply tied to my own personal experiences and academic career.
I initially was ambivalent to Amber Heard. Before I began to research the case, I was firmly in the “they both suck” camp, having only briefly glanced through articles. I started to pay more attention to the media coverage over the past six weeks and was really staggered by how Heard was being portrayed as a lying, crazy, gold-digging woman through narratives that were not only going unchallenged, but were heavily perpetuated in the public discourse. Even worse, that the abuse she experienced had been capitalized on by “true crime” junkies and mocked in TikTok videos and Youtube compilations. So I began watching the trial live and found that there was far more evidence and far more substantial evidence which shows that JD was the perpetrator of abuse within their relationship.
The evidence collected through JD’s personal texts and emails show an early pattern of abuse. He exerted control over the clothes Amber wore and would become angry when she didn’t dress “conservatively”. He would consistently accuse her of having affairs with acquaintances, friends, and various co-stars, even with an openly gay director, Clive Barker. He didn’t like that she was ambitious and would scorn her when she took opportunities to advance her career. He would constantly refer to her with misogynistic language. He also referred to Amber, an openly bisexual woman, as a “lesbian camp counsellor”. He messaged other men to discuss killing her through drowning and burning her, and then raping her burnt corpse to prove that she was truly dead. This all occurred while they were still dating. She was in her early 20s and he was in 50s. All of these coercive, paranoid, jealous, controlling behaviours are deeply and unequivocally abusive.
None of this includes the evidence which shows physical and sexual abuse. There are audio tapes in which he admits to headbutting her, so hard that she was concerned her nose was broken. In another recording, they discuss how her family and friends have seen her bruises, broken blood vessels, and bald spots from her hair being torn out of her scalp. Another shows him stating “I will smack the ugly c**t before I let her in.” A video shows him aggressively breaking and smashing furniture near her. One interaction reveals that Stephen Deuters, his assistant, begged her to come back to him after her assaulted her on a plane in front of his bodyguards, pleading to her that JD was remorseful for his actions. Heard also has stated he sexually assaulted her multiple times. Remember, he previously discussed violently raping her in those infamous messages to Paul Bettany.
As for witnesses, several testified to seeing bruises on her numerous times, including JD’s witnesses, such as their marriage counsellor. A makeup artist, Melanie Inglessis, testified to covering swelling on her lip and two black eyes. Raquel Pennington saw several injuries, including bloodied bald spots on her head, a swollen nose, and cut lip. She expressed fear JD would eventually kill Amber if she didn’t leave. Josh Drew also testified to seeing her with injuries, including black eyes, a swollen cheek, and a busted lip. iO Tillet Wright (who Depp misgenders throughout his testimony) recalled hearing JD assault Amber and scream “oh, you think I hit you? You think I fucking hit you? What if I peel your fucking hair back“. iO then called 911. This was the incident which led Heard to file for a divorce and a restraining order, two days afterwards. It is worth noting that Pennington, Drew, and Wright all corroborated this incident in their depositions, as did iO’s 2016 essay.
Is she guilty of fighting back? Absolutely. She never lied about doing so, even dating back to her 2016 deposition. However, fighting back against a man who has beaten you, sexually assaulted you, controlled your career, finances, and who you can associate with does not equate to being an abuser. It’s simply surviving. And yes, I’ve heard those audio tapes, the in which she’s expresses her incredulity at him for stating their fights were fair when she feared he would kill her.
His case has relied upon deeply misogynistic narratives to discredit both her claims and her character. She was after his money all along, even though she refused the 30 million dollar fortune she was legally entitled to, as there was no prenup. She painted on bruises, even though a makeup artist testified to covering up her swollen lip and two black eyes. She cut off his finger, even though multiple texts and even an audio recording showcase him admitting to doing it in the midst of a bender. She didn’t donate her money, even though she and the organization created a 10 year plan for her to make yearly payments (in my personal opinion, what she does with her money either way is nobody’s fucking business). Also worth noting, an ACLU representative testified to her being ahead of schedule until Depp began suing her. She made up a hoax, because she documented her abuse - as we advise all people who are in abusive situations to do. She’s a liar, because women are inherently deceitful liars.
None of the evidence that JD’s attorneys presented has proven that she defamed him through her op-ed piece. That’s likely because their goal was never to prove that her article - which never explicitly references him or their relationship - impacted his career. Those who watched the trial will know, Tracy Jacobs, his agent of 30 years stated that it was his drug and alcohol abuse, anger issues, chronic lateness (7 or 8 hours late to set each day), and unprofessionalism that led to his career decline. Film crews grew tired of working around these problems, and eventually, so did Hollywood. Tina Newman, a Disney Corporate Representative who worked on POTC stated no one knew of Amber’s op-ed until Depp sued her.
The trial was always meant to humiliate, shame, and terrorize her. We are witnessing in a powerful man terrorize his ex-wife through the legal system, all while the world makes TikToks of her sexual assault testimony. JD has a documented history of violence and is due for another court date after assaulting a crew member of the set of City of Lies. To quote his own words, “If I’m angry and I’ve got to lash out or hit somebody, I’m going to do it and I don’t care what the repercussions are. Anger doesn’t pay rent, it’s gotta go. It’s gotta be evicted.”
I don’t know whether Amber Heard will win her case. We’re witnessing a radical right-wing political swing to control and criminalize women’s bodies with Roe v. Wade under attack right now. To be blunt, I have very little faith in the justice system and that a jury - in Virginia of all places - will rule in favour of an abused woman over her charismatic, powerful ex-husband. However, I think it’s important to remember that Amber did everything right, that is, everything we tell women to do. She documented her abuse, left her abusive partner, and was granted a restraining order - and she’s continuing to be punished for doing so. If Amber, a privileged white woman with access to economic resources, is still struggling to escape her abuser, how can we expect women without those privileges to?
I wanted to address a few of the comments I received in regards to the case, particularly Amber's actions and alleged inconsistencies.
Amber's history of violence. Amber does not have a history of violence. The incident with her ex-girlfriend was sensationalized by two aggressive, prejudiced officers. In Tasya's own words, "in 2009, Amber was wrongfully accused for an incident that was misinterpreted and over-sensationalized by two individuals in a power position. I recount hints of misogynistic attitudes toward us which later appeared to be homophobic when they found out we were domestic partners and not just ‘friends.’ Charges were quickly dropped and she was released moments later. It’s disheartening that Amber’s integrity and story are being questioned yet again. Amber is a brilliant, honest and beautiful woman and I have the utmost respect for her. We shared 5 wonderful years together and remain close to this day."
The police officers who were called throughout 2016 made no arrests/charges. I don't know how clear I can make this, but police are not adequately trained to recognize and respond to IPV. At all. They often fail to follow standard procedures, such as filing a formal report, investigating the situation, and checking in on the survivors afterwards. If you'll recall, the officers who interacted with Gabby Petito and Brian Landry failed to follow the proper procedures through separating the two (and even listed Petito as the perpetator). Landry murdered Petito days afterwards. Survivors report feeling far less safe after calling the police and feel discriminated against for not being the "perfect victim". There is also an extremely high prominence of IPV among police officers. 40 percent of police officers' families experience IPV, which is four times higher than the rates among the general population. I could go on, but police are simply unequip to handle IPV cases and are respond through their own biases.
Not all Amber's actions can be chalked up to self-defense. This particular line of thinking is SO harmful for survivors. When we think of survivors defending themselves from their abusers, our minds lean towards the "crying while cowering the corner" stance. Abuse is an imbalance of power. Gender, age, and income are all power imbalances within abusive relationships, including John Depp and Amber Heard's relationship. I'm sure she wasn't nice, because "enduring abuse over time can lead to broken down self-esteem, feelings of low self-worth and intense emotional stress or even PTSD." She endured years of her much older, powerful partner abusing her emotionally, physically, sexually, and financially. So yes, she probably wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.
I don't like Amber as a person. You don't have like Amber to believe the evidence that she was and is still being abused. That's irrelevant. There is no such thing as a "perfect victim". Survivors can be messy, flawed people and that should have no bearing on whether or not they should be believed.
It's a defamation case, not a domestic violence case. As Rottenborn, her lawyer, stated, if even one of Amber's allegations is found to be true by the jury, she wins her case.
I wanted to mention a few other things. We've since learned that John Depp attempted to block Amber from following Covid-19 safety measures during her deposition. Amber wanted to wear an N95 mask to protect herself and her infant daughter, as the Omicron variant was surging. Not only did Depp himself refuse to follow proper masking, he attempted to bar Amber from safe masking too, even in spite of the Virginia guidelines. I can't express how grotesque and inhumane that is.
Depp's team also put forward a motion to strike a statement in Rottenborn's closing argument pertaining to abuse survivors, in which he states, “that their decision in this case would send a message to every victim of domestic abuse everywhere.” It really shows that this case was never about standing up for survivors, it was about one man abusing his ex-wife. Remember, if Depp wins, it means that survivors of all genders- which includes men - will not be able to speak about their experiences with abuse for fear of legal retaliation by their abusers. John Depp does not care about survivors because he is an abuser.
I also hope others continue to write pro-Amber pieces. If you're considering doing so, I would encourage you to turn your anonymous messages off to protect yourself from harassment. Within hours of posting, I had to restrict my messages after receiving multiple anonymous commenters calling me derogatory names and gendered insults, as well as one telling me to unalive myself. I've been on this website for over 10 years and have never once experienced that. This seems to be the norm for JD stans, which is partly why I think so many people are hesitant to express support for Amber.
Please continue to be supportive of Amber in your own lives. Please believe survivors.
