‘We condemn the public shaming of Amber Heard’: Gloria Steinem joins intimate partner violence experts in signing open letter supporting star after she lost trial against Johnny Depp
- Exes Heard and Depp battled it out in court to determine if a 2018 Washington Post essay written by Heard, in which she accused the actor of domestic abuse, defamed Depp
- Heard was ordered to pay the actor $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, although the second payment was reduced to $350,000 per Virginia law by the judge
- Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages out of the $100 million she was seeking in her countersuit against her ex
- Afterwards, Heard called the verdict ‘unfair’ during an interview and insisted that she was going to ‘stand by every word of her testimony until the day she dies’
Political activist Gloria Steinem has shown her support for Amber Heard via an open letter condemning ‘public shaming’ in the wake of the star’s $100m defamation trial loss against ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Feminist Steinem, 88, joined a host of intimate partner violence organizations including the National Organization for Women, the National Women’s Law Center, and the Women’s March Foundation in signing the letter published on Wednesday.
Exes Heard and Depp – who tied the knot in 2015, and were married for one year before Heard filed for divorce in 2016 – battled it out in court to determine if a 2018 Washington Post essay written by Heard, in which she accused the actor of domestic abuse, defamed Depp.
After a months-long trial, Heard lost her case in June, with Steinem and other organizations blasting social media for mocking the star’s ‘allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault for entertainment.’
Support: Political activist Gloria Steinem has shown her support for Amber Heard via an open letter condemning ‘public shaming’ in the wake of the star’s $100m defamation trial loss against ex-husband Johnny Depp (Heard picrtured June 2022)
The letter read: ‘Five months ago, the verdict in the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard deeply concerned many professionals in the fields of intimate partner and sexual violence…
‘The vilification of Ms. Heard and ongoing online harassment of her and those who have voiced support for her have been unprecedented in both vitriol and scale.
‘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 same disinformation and victim-blaming tropes are now being used against others who have alleged abuse.
Letter: Feminist Steinem, 88, joined a host of intimate partner violence organizations including the National Organization for Women, the National Women’s Law Center, and the Women’s March Foundation in signing the letter published on Wednesday (pictured June 2022)
The letter read: ‘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’
‘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.
‘We have grave concerns about the rising misuse of defamation suits to threaten and silence survivors.”
‘We condemn the public shaming of Amber Heard.’
An accompanying post read: ‘An open letter in support of Amber Heard. Our letter has been signed by over 130 experts and organizations in the fields of intimate partner violence and sexual violence.
Academy Award nominated filmmaker Amy Ziering is also among the individuals who have signed the letter.
Exes: Depp and Heard are pictured during their marriage in 2015
Trial:After a months-long trial, Heard lost her case in June (pictured June 2022)
Heard was ordered to pay the actor $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, although the second payment was reduced to $350,000 per Virginia law by the judge.
Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages out of the $100 million she was seeking in her countersuit against her ex.
Afterwards, Heard called the verdict ‘unfair’ during an interview with the Today show, and insisted that she was going to ‘stand by every word of her testimony until the day she dies.’
The movie star doubled down on her allegations that Depp was physically violent towards her during their one-year of marriage, and accused him of ‘lying’ on the stand when he said that he ‘never hit her,’ while speaking to Today host Savannah Guthrie.
She also told the outlet that she was looking forward to focusing on being a mom following the trial, explaining, ‘I get to be a mom full time, without having to juggle calls with lawyers.
‘I want to move on with my life. I have a baby. I have to move on. I want to move on, and I want Johnny to move on, too.’
However, it doesn’t appear as though she’s moved on, as it was recently reported that Heard had filed an appeal against the defamation trial.
According to documents filed to the Court of Appeals of Virginia, Heard, who still owes Depp $10.3 million in damages, claimed that her ex-husband misled the jury and that the trial had a lack of ‘clear and convincing evidence’ for actual malice.
She also called out the court’s alleged failure to invalidate the damages awarded to both her and Depp after ruling they both defamed each other.
It was reported that Heard was living in Mallorca, Spain, with her daughter and her partner, cinematographer Bianca Butti, following the trial, but she was recently spotted in London.
Victory: Heard was ordered to pay the actor $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, although the second payment was reduced to $350,000 per Virginia law by the judge
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