- The full version of Amber Heard’s interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie aired on Friday.
- Hurd said she was “horrified” that Johnny Depp could try her again after the defamation trial.
- “I took for granted what I assumed was my right to speak,” the actor said.
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Amber Heard said she was nervous about what she could say in public after the Virginia jury found her responsible for slandering her ex-husband Johnny Depp after weeks of sensational testimony in the high-profile trial.
In an interview with NBC’s Dateline on Friday with Today host Savannah Guthrie, Hurd said she was “horrified” that Depp could sue her again for defamation if she continued to talk about the trial.
“I took for granted what I thought was my right to speak. I’m afraid that no matter what I do, what I say or how I say it – every step I take will provide another opportunity for this kind of silencing, which I guess aims to do a defamation case – to take your vote. ” said Hurd.
At the heart of the defamation lawsuit, which took place in the Virginia court earlier this year, was a 2018 Washington Post publication in which Hurd hinted that she had survived sexual and domestic violence and the vitriol she said that she received as a result to speak publicly about it. Depp’s name is not mentioned in the piece, but he responded by taking Hurd to court, accusing his ex-wife of ruining his reputation and career by hinting in the article that he had abused her.
Hurd filed a $ 100 million counterclaim, alleging that Depp attacked her before and during their marriage, which ended in divorce in 2016. Depp denied the allegations.
The jury eventually found Hurd and Depp liable for defamation, although the verdict was undoubtedly a victory for Depp, who received $ 15 million in damages compared to Hurd’s $ 2 million payment.
In his first prime-time interview since sentencing, Hurd told Guthrie that he was behind “every word” of his testimony and would do so until “his day of death.” But the actor said Depp’s numerous fans present at the trial often found it difficult to testify.
“In the courtroom, I testify of sexual assault and violence before a jury in a full courtroom of people who express their contempt for me,” she told Guthrie.
Hurd said barricades had to be set up outside the courthouse for her safety because of crowds of Captain Jack Sparrow fans in front of the building every day.
The rehearsal inspired huge online engagement – most of which seemed to be support for Depp. Hurd said in an interview that he did not “blame” the jury for their verdict in the case.
“I’m not a good victim, I understand. I’m not a nice victim. I’m not a saint,” she said. “I’m not asking anyone to like me.”
But Hurd said he feared the result could have a “chilling” effect on survivors of domestic violence.
“What I’ve learned in this process is that it will never be good enough. If you have proof, then it was a scheme, it’s a scam,” she said. “If you don’t have the evidence, it didn’t happen.”
A spokesman for Depp responded to Hurd’s interview, accusing her of “reviewing” the case in the media.
It is unfortunate that while Johnny seeks to continue his life, the accused and her team return to repeating, reconsidering and reviewing cases that have already been decided by the court and a verdict that has been decided unanimously and unequivocally by a jury in favor of Johnny, “the spokesman told Insider.
Hurd told Guthrie that he planned to appeal his case and was focusing on being the mother of his young daughter.
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