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As the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial came to an end, many experts opined on the future of the two celebrities' careers. While some claimed that the Pirates of the Caribbean star would be making a strong comeback into Hollywood, others argued that the legal battle worked against him.
A New York City business and entertainment lawyer, Domenic Romano, has claimed that Depp’s trial win was a “Pyrrhic victory.”
Romano's suggestion of the victory being "pyrrhic" is that the jury may have been in his favor. However, it was “definitely not a moral victory.” Romano said:
“Even when you win, you lose. This may be a legal victory, but it’s not really a reputational victory, and definitely not a moral victory for Johnny Depp or society at large.”
The lawyer added that the defamation trial brought his 2020 libel case to light, in which Johnny Depp was called a “wife-beater.” Romano said:
“I thought this whole thing was a terrible idea for him. I mean how do you look good?”
What is a Pyrrhic Victory? Attorney claims Johnny Depp’s court win was damaging
According to Merriam-Webster, a pyrrhic victory is- “a victory that comes at a great cost, perhaps making the ordeal to win not worth it.” The phrase was coined from Greek mythology in which Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus defeated the Romans in a 279 BCE battle, however, he lost many of his troops.
Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife and actress Amber Heard for $50 million after the latter wrote an op-ed piece in December 2018 for The Washington Post in which the Aquaman actress claimed to be a victim of domestic violence. Although Heard did not mention Depp’s name, his lawyers argued that she made a clean insinuation that ended up taking a toll on the actor’s career. Since then, Heard filed a countersuit against him for $100 million.
During the six-week-long legal battle, the former couple’s tumultuous relationship came to light. As the court proceedings were made public, the court of public opinion critically analyzed private text messages, pictures, and videos.
Although Johnny Depp won in court, upsetting content such as the actor writing disturbing messages on the wall with his own blood, his substance abuse, his anger management, and his abusive text messages claiming that he hoped Heard’s “rotting corpse is decomposing in the f**king truck of a Honda civic,” and how Depp will "f*** her burnt corpse afterward to make sure she's dead," was made public.
Amber Heard's supporters have stated online that her loss in court is a drastic blow to the 'Me Too' movement. However, Romano claimed that the same would not take a toll on the revolutionary campaign. He said:
“In the larger scheme, I do not think this will set back the #MeToo movement. People will see it’s not a great idea to litigate a personal relationship. Victims will continue to be rightfully emboldened to come forward.”
The seven-member jury voted in favour of Johnny Depp on three counts of the defamation trial. The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory star was awarded ten million dollars in compensatory damages, and five million dollars in punitive damages, later capped at $350,000. Amber Heard was also to be paid $2 million in compensatory damages.
