House GOP Shows Support For Johnny Depp After Winning Amber Heard Case

Republicans in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday signaled support for actor Johnny Depp after the latter won his defamation case against actress Amber Heard.

In a tweet, Republicans posted a short video of a scene from Depp’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” as Judge Penney Azcarte read the verdict to both parties in the case.

For context, Depp sued former wife Heard after she wrote a 2018 Washington Post opinion article wherein the Aquaman actress described herself as a “victim of domestic abuse.” While Heard did not mention the actor by name, Depp sued her for defamation and sought $50 million in damages.

Heard later filed a countersuit, claiming she had been defamed in 2020 after one of Depp’s lawyers at the time dismissed her abuse accusations as a “hoax.” She sought $100 million in damages.

The defamation trial lasted six weeks. The seven-person jury began deliberating Friday last week before finding both Heard and Depp liable for defamation.

The jury said they found that Heard’s op-ed contained several false statements that were made with actual malice. The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

The jury also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages and no money for punitive damages. Heard was seen keeping her eyes down while the verdict was being read. Sources close to the actress told Entertainment Weekly that Heard plans to appeal the verdict.

The House Judiciary Committee’s post on Tuesday was not the first time lawmakers appeared to comment on topics related to Hollywood. In March, several politicians also took to Twitter to comment on the slap incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock at the Oscars. Some lawmakers, such as Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., called for civility following the “obnoxious episode.”

“The obnoxious episode on the Oscars stage last night encapsulates the very mean-spiritedness and erosion of self-control that are spreading in our streets, our schools, and our society. Both are diseases for which we need a moral vaccination,” Phillips wrote.

Other lawmakers, including Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., compared the slap incident to President Joe Biden’s energy policy and its effect on American consumers.