Deeper Than a Defamation Trial
On Dec. 18, 2018, Amber Heard published an opinion article in The Washington Post that centered on her surviving domestic violence. Although her former husband Johnny Depp was never mentioned by name, the timeline in Heard’s personal article matched the timeline of their relationship. This piece was all it took to ruin Depp’s career and reputation. Disney dropped him from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise days after the article was released, causing him to lose $22.5 million (Entertainment Weekly). Subsequently, in March 2019, Depp and his legal team sued Heard for $50 million based on defamation of character. In response to his lawsuit, Heard filed a $100 million countersuit in August 2020. The trial for Depp’s lawsuit concluded on June 2. The jury unanimously came to the conclusion that Heard could not substantiate her allegations against Depp and that she wrote her op-ed in 2018 with the knowledge that her claims of abuse were false (National Broadcasting Company). Therefore, the jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. However, the jury also found that Depp defamed Heard on one count and she was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages. This explosive trial between the two famous actors was the center of attention on social media platforms as each day of the trial was broadcasted live on YouTube. While it was very controversial, the situation started a conversation about the stigmas that male victims of abuse or violence face and how lying about abuse can silence actual victims.
“What this couple’s feud has shown to everyone is that not all women are necessarily victims of abuse,” World History and U.S. History teacher Charles Kim said. “People are realizing that we have to look at both accounts before making a call on who is an aggressor and who is not. It is sad because Heard has really put [actual] female victims [of abuse] in a negative light. ”
In their respective statements, the two made it clear how emotionally and physically exhausting their two years of marriage — which began in 2017 — was. On May 4, Heard spoke on the witness stand about what she experienced. However, over the course of the six years since Heard published her article, the details of events she said she experienced have proven to be inaccurate. One example is when Heard claimed that she had never played the guitar when shown a photo of a blood-covered guitar which was allegedly taken during the aftermath of one of their fights. Responding to the claim, however, a fan shared a video clip on TikTok showing Heard playing the guitar while singing a snippet from her 2016 movie “One More Time” (Newsweek). In stark contrast, Depp’s recollections of their relationship timeline held consistency throughout the years (People Magazine).
Despite increasing social awareness around those subjected to violence, many still do not listen to or believe survivors of abuse. This makes Heard taking advantage of this situation disheartening for those who have actually suffered from abuse. Both actors received heavy negative feedback for how messy the trial became and there has been extensive debate over whether Depp was actually abused based on his gender. This pushback and skepticism against Depp may make victims more afraid to come forward with their stories. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. When it comes to potential male victims of abuse like Depp, people tend to discredit them by resorting to stereotypes and framing them as the aggressors.
“It is really important to keep in mind that anyone can be an abuser or the victim,” sophomore Hizuki Matsuda said. “It is not emasculating if [men] speak up about [abuse]. Everyone should know that abuse can be in [many forms], from emotional [abuse] to financial and physical abuse.”
The trial of Depp and Heard exposed that a socially normalized concept known as toxic masculinity is too often attributed to men. Very Well Mind describes toxic masculinity as the notion that manliness is equated to being aggressive, emotionally callous, physically strong and denying socially feminine habits. Toxic masculinity creates a false and harmful stereotype that men cannot be victims of domestic violence. In order to help male victims, people need to stop relying on toxic masculinity as a scapegoat for faulty stereotyping.
“When it comes to changing the behavior toward [male abuse victims], we can, as a society, be more respectful and open to anyone in a tough situation,” sophomore Ryan Rad said. “With that said, I believe [Heard] might prevent some women [who were actually abused] from speaking out because they will think [people] will believe the other person.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 49% of men have dealt with some sort of psychological aggression from their partner. With those willing to lie about abuse and silence actual victims like Heard, this statistic could possibly grow even more. It is important to assure victims that there is nothing wrong about coming forward with their experiences. While Depp and Heard’s story is complex and the full truth behind their allegations may never be uncovered, it is necessary for people to eventually unlearn the assumption that all men follow the traits of toxic masculinity that has been ingrained into society’s perception of male victims.
