AIBU to wonder why everyone is saying ruling wrong in Johnny Depp libel case?

[WorkQuery]

Jury believed that Johnny Depp was violent to Amber Heard. All I keep reading on Facebook etc is comments from people who believe that the ruling was wrong. Why do people assume that it's wrong? Clearly there must have been very strong evidence to support that Depp was abusive to Amber?

@goldenharvest

It's clear it was a violent relationship on both sides. However a libel case isn't about criminal evidence and 'guilty beyond reasonable doubt'. It's about did the newspaper report the facts accurately and in good faith. Apparently they did.

No it's not. Certainly the evidence indicates it could very well have been a case of self defence or Battered Wife Syndrome on her part.

On the other hand, Johnny Depp is a proven (and self admitted) wife beater.

From the Sun:
He then threw her on the bed, knelt on her back and repeatedly punched her in her head in December 2015.

And

He tore off her nightgown and attacked her, causing cuts and bruises on her arms, legs, hands and feet.

Crazed Depp later severed the tip of his finger before using it to daub disturbing graffiti in blood and paint on the walls and furniture of the luxury rented villa.

That's just a couple of the many violent incidents.

@FourTeaFallOut

What is this "bringing out the monster" trope? I don't think I've seen it outside of horror movies and made for TV psychodramas. I've never seen it to explain away the dynamics of violent abuse in real life before.

It's basically another way of saying shit like "she asked for it" or " she provoked me".

From the Sun (Nicki Norman, chief executive of women's aid) :

This also applies to survivors who do not fit the image of the "perfect victim - and regardless of the high profile of the alleged abuser.

"There is no excuse for domestic abuse.”

The Sun:

Lisa King, of Refuge, said: “This is an important ruling and one which we hope sends a very ­powerful message: A common tactic used by perpetrators of domestic abuse is to repeatedly tell victims that no one will believe them – and to use power and control to try and silence them

www.thesun.co.uk/news/13090441/johnny-depp-libel-case-wife-beater/

It is because there is loads of evidence that Amber Heard abused him not the other way around, there are even recordings of her admitting to hitting him and throwing things at him, but the Judge dismissed all of Johnny Depp's evidence including the recordings saying that Amber wouldn't lie under oath even though her testimony contradicted the testimonies of her own witnesses. My god she even contradicted herself several times.

Careful @snaketime. Throwing around unproven allegations about Amber. Remember we're discussing a libel trial...

On the other hand, Johnny Depp is a proven wife beater.

@Snaketime

It is because there is loads of evidence that Amber Heard abused him not the other way around, there are even recordings of her admitting to hitting him and throwing things at him, but the Judge dismissed all of Johnny Depp's evidence including the recordings saying that Amber wouldn't lie under oath even though her testimony contradicted the testimonies of her own witnesses. My god she even contradicted herself several times.

So has he. He said he was a southern gentleman, texts and emails show that is not the case. He said the alcohol and drugs were for AH too and he was sober for periods of time. Emails and texts show he wasn't. He said we could clearly remember the flight where she says he was physically abusive, then he said he couldn't actually. He said he has never touched her, before the court case, he now admits he head butted her and it became apparent he kicked her.

Sheepandcow- no! The tapes show she was violent to him too, she admits it on them. They are both violent wife/husband beaters. But the case wasn't about her it was about him.

If he took her to court the evidence suggests she would be convicted as violent too.

And Amber said that one of the beatings that took place that left her with bruises on her face were on a certain date and when they showed her photographs from that date that clearly show she didnt have bruises she said oh I must have gotten the dates mixed up.
On one of the other occasions when she said she was hiding in the bathroom from him there is a recording that proves he was the one in the bathroom and she hit him not the other way around.
During the Australia incident she says she barricaded herself in the master bedroom away from him, yet the mirror he scrawled on in paint and blood was in the ensuite of said bedroom and there was only one door into it, in the master bedroom, yet she barricaded herself in there all night to get away from him and never came out. There is also a recording that proves this is a lie and it is a recording she secretly made without anyones knowledge that proves she wasnt in that room.
At her birthday party (which is why they apparently split after he turned up late) she told everyone he was upstairs sulking and refusing to come down when he was in a meeting about his finances and not even in the building let alone upstairs.
She is a proven wife beater, it has been proven she beat up her sister, yet it has never been proven that he is a wife beater, none of his ex's have said he was violent, they all said this doesn't sound like the man I know.
Amber got a private investigator to dig up dirt on him, he interviewed over 100 people that knew or worked with Johnny over a span of 30 years and not one of them had a bad word to say about him, yet most of them that knew Amber didnt like her.

Luckily the court case was decided on by a legal expert, who had access to all of the evidence (some is to remain confidential from the public, I believe).

You have no idea of the context of those recordings. It's as likely, if not more so, that anything she might have done (nothing proven) was self defence - or Battered Wife Syndrome.

You are making unproven allegations about Amber (based on limited information and third hand tabloid reports).

Potential libel.

Meanwhile, Johnny Depp is a proven (in a court of law) violent domestic abuser.

He is a proven wife-beater.

He isn't proven at all. I mean aside from the fact the Judge knows NGN's lawyer and is friends with her ex husband means he shouldn't have been on the case as it is a conflict of interest and that he dismissed all of Johnny's witness statements and evidence but believed that she wouldn't lie in court even though she has been proved to be a liar multiple times, oh and the sun itself did an article on the Judge in 2016 saying he is the judge that is easiest to buy and that he has already been proven unfit to be a judge and several of his cases are under review, but yeah Johnny has been proven to be a wife beater, whatever fits into your narrative love.

the sun itself did an article on the Judge in 2016 saying he is the judge that is easiest to buy

I very much doubt that is true. Link?

several of his cases are under review

Sounds like a typical internet rumour. Every judge faces appeals against some of his or her judgements. Every judge has some judgements overturned on appeal. It goes with the territory.

Snaketime you do realise this action was about whether Depp had committed DV, not Amber Heard? It's a defamation action, not a divorce case.

Another point is the increasing trend for abusive men to use the threat of defamation action to silence victims.

So for that reason, I welcome this decision. Most abusive men don't have the money to follow through on their threats, but Johnny Depp is clearly stupid enough and vain enough to waste what's left of his dwindling fortune on endless legal fees. I hear he's trying to appeal.

The problem of being an ageing film star who demands the right to unqualified adoration.

I have followed the case and believe the judge’s ruling be wrong. Quite baffling actually. She was not a credible witness; changed her story many times. The judge believed her because she was ‘under oath’ (as was everyone else) and ignored everyone else’s statements, recordings, video evidence, etc. Including those from doctors, nurses and police officers. I’m not a huge fan of his, but when I saw her video deposition, I could tell she was lying straight away, she is a sociopathic narcissist and I’ve dealt with a couple of those too on my time. Once you have, you can spot them a mile away. She was also on loads of drugs and drink, not just him.

Oh. And the judge has connections with AH’s lawyer. It was all a bit ‘iffy’

@Tdaadfb100

Oh. And the judge has connections with AH’s lawyer. It was all a bit ‘iffy’

Heard was not party to the proceedings so did not have any representation in court. She was simply a witness for NGN. Or are you alleging that the judge has some connection with Heard's US lawyer? And what is your evidence for this allegation? There are lots of allegations flying around about the judge on social media (a couple of which are reproduced by Snaketime above) but they are generally false or misleading.