Experts warn: Johnny Depp jokes in court could work against him

CelebritiesJohnny Depp completely got the general public on his side after his testimony in the court of Fairfax, Virginia. There he is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard, for defamation. From the witness stand, he made some jokes about Heard’s lawyers, which immediately went viral on the internet. But according to expert Lee Berik, those playful comments could work to his disadvantage.

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“Real? Aren’t you going to object?” It’s just one of the jokes Johnny fired at Heard’s lawyers. They are currently doing the rounds on the internet, where Depp is also praised for his light-hearted demeanor. “He’s holding out strong,” it sounds there.

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But following Lee Berik, a Hollywood attorney and no stranger to such lawsuits, doesn’t see it so positively. “Depp appears before a jury. It is extremely important in cases like this that the jury finds him nice and credible,” he explains. “On the internet all those jokes are cut up nicely and people have the chance to talk about it among themselves, which makes Johnny come out in a good way. But such behavior may come across as inappropriate to a jury, who is surrounded by only a quiet, serious court. Or worse, they might like him less as a result. And yes, that can have a big impact on the outcome of his trial. After all, it is the jury that decides whether or not he will win the case against Amber.”

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Familiarity is an advantage

“This is Fairfax, not Hollywood,” he clarifies. “They almost never have to deal with celebrities there. The jury will also mainly consist of people who have as little interest as possible in those kinds of things. And say now, if an ordinary man sues his wife for a few million, you wouldn’t want to see him giggle on the witness stand. That doesn’t seem serious. As a lawyer, you want every word that comes out of your client’s mouth to be credible. The fact that Johnny sometimes acts like it’s just a game, while Amber cries when she testifies, doesn’t necessarily work in his favor.”

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However, his celebrity can be a help, according to Berik. “Let’s face it, he’s not just an ordinary guy, he’s Johnny Depp. And because of that, he can get away with more than anyone else. But however things turn out… When push comes to shove, I don’t think there will be any real winners from this process. Both Johnny and Amber have suffered serious reputational damage, and those are things that will haunt them for the rest of their lives – and their careers.”

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