Five months after the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial, greater than 130 organizations and people have signed an open letter in assist of Heard.
The letter, which was launched Wednesday, voiced sturdy sympathy and encouragement for Heard, 36, who misplaced a high-profile defamation swimsuit towards Depp, her ex-husband, in June. Depp, 59, sued Heard over a Washington Post op-ed wherein she referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
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Dozens of ladies’s rights organizations, together with the National Women’s Law Center, Esperanza United and Futures Without Violence, signed the open letter. Numerous docs, legal professionals and teachers additionally independently signed, together with writer and activist Gloria Steinem.
The letter was penned by a gaggle of people that declare to be survivors of home violence. In the letter, they referenced the “vilification” of Heard and her supporters as a phenomenon that has “been unprecedented in both vitriol and scale.”
Throughout the six-week livestreamed trial, Heard was closely mocked and shamed by staunch Depp supporters. Social media was flooded with outrage over the actor’s allegations of home violence by the hands of Depp. (In court docket, Depp claimed he was the true sufferer of home violence.)
“Much of this harassment was fueled by disinformation, misogyny, biphobia, and a monetized social media environment where a woman’s allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault were mocked for entertainment,” the letter reads.
The open letter claimed this public shaming of the Aquaman actor is harmful for different survivors of home abuse seeking to communicate out.
“In our opinion, the Depp v. Heard verdict and continued discourse around it indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner and sexual violence and how survivors respond to it,” the letter reads.
The letter resulted in condemnation of “the public shaming of Amber Heard.”
In a press launch, Emma Katz, an writer and home abuse researcher who signed the open letter, stated “behaviors that are common to survivors were relentlessly mocked and misunderstood” throughout the trial.
“These common survivor behaviors, including covering injuries with makeup and leaving your abuser then arranging to meet with them again – were widely condemned as signs of deception,” she stated within the press launch.
She continued: “Many survivors watched these public conversations unfold with dread, as the question ‘will I be believed if I come forward’ seemed to be met with a resounding ‘no’.”
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On Twitter, Katz and a number of other different signees stated they had been “proud” to have signed the open letter.
Following the Depp v. Heard trial, a seven-person jury dominated in favour of Depp and awarded the actor US$10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
Heard was awarded $2 million in a beneficial ruling on one among her three countersuit claims. In the countersuit, Heard and her legal professionals alleged Depp was “vicariously liable” for 3 statements made by the actor’s former lawyer, Adam Waldman, to British tabloid The Daily Mail.
This month, Depp launched an enchantment of Heard’s partial win, alleging the decision in favour of his ex-wife was “erroneous.”
In October, Heard additionally filed a short laying the groundwork for an enchantment.
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If you or somebody you already know has been a sufferer of intimate accomplice violence or is concerned in an abusive scenario, please go to the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for assist. They are additionally reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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