THE verdict is in, and the jury of seven was unanimous in their decision to award actor Johnny Depp over US$10 million in damages in his defamation lawsuit against his former wife, the actress, Amber Heard.
Depp sued Heard for character defamation following an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post two years ago, portraying herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”.

Though his name was not mentioned in the article, the popular ‘Pirates of the Carribean’ star claimed it cost him “lucrative acting roles”, and the jury found that Heard did indeed defame Depp in three separate statements in the Washington Post piece.

Heard was awarded a much smaller sum of US$2 million in her counter-suit for defamation over statements made by Depp’s attorney, suggesting she had concocted a false story.
The verdict was seen as a victory for Depp, and an indication that the jury did not believe Heard’s claims of abuse, though this trial primarily centred around the defamation claims.

Depp denied all allegations of abuse, and Heard’s testimony was shown to contain inaccuracies and outright fabrications.
During the trial, a tide of support for him arose on social media, with fans vilifying Heard, and dismissing her claims of physical abuse as blatant lies.

It is important to note, here, that persons who are victims of physical abuse must report such violations to the police. Legal practitioners regularly stress that these measures provide essential evidence that the abuse did indeed occur, particularly where there are recurring incidents.

If this highly-publicised celebrity trial has shown nothing, it has certainly underlined the necessity for accusers to be truthful in their allegations, and to try to remember as accurately as possible when the abuse occurred, and what actually happened.

Here again, official reports help, as they provide a bona fide record of the abuse, along with important details for building a case.
In addition, people who are abused should not suffer in silence, but should seek professional help, and let trusted people know of their abusive relationship.

The more people who know, the more can step forward and confirm that at least they were made aware of the abuse, and, in some instances, may even be able to vouch for having seen injuries sustained by the victim.