Has Johnny Depp really been “deemed innocent”, as heard on France Inter? – Liberation

2023-05-16 17:29:02

Domestic violencedossier

The controversy over the presence of the actor at the top of the bill for Maïwenn’s latest production was revived because of his presentation at the opening of the festival, then because of comments made by the film’s distributor.

First Cannes screening and first controversy. Its object? Jeanne du Barry, Maïwenn’s new film, which opens the Cannes Film Festival this Tuesday, May 16. At the origin of the controversy, the presence at the head of the poster of Johnny Depp, splashed by a case of domestic violence, from which resulted a legal procedure ended a few months ago.

Asked about this, the director general of the festival, Thierry Frémaux explained this choice of programming during a press conference on Monday: “I’m only interested in Johnny Depp the actor. […] In my life, I have only one conduct: the freedom to think, to speak, to act within the framework of the law. Maïwenn, who is directing the film while playing the other main role, justifies herself by explaining that she offered Johnny Depp to play it before the announcement of the trials to which he was a party – defense which she repeats to all the media that asked him the question, including Release. As for Jean Labadie, CEO of Le Pacte, the company responsible for distributing the film, he explained this Tuesday morning. on France Inter : “When the choice was made by Maïwenn to take Johnny Depp, it is true that we followed the trial with a little concern. […] Finally, we must not forget that he was judged, and that he was found innocent. So I don’t know why there is still this controversy.

Words immediately challenged on social networks. For good reason, Johnny Depp has never been found not guilty of the acts of domestic violence of which he was accused by his ex-wife, the American actress Amber Heard.

Non, @France Inter Johnny De*p has not been “tried and innocent”. He sued his ex and a tabloid for 2x defamation and the 2X the facts of violence were proven. The latest trial convicted Amber Heard of defamation in an article but also convicted Johnny Depp.

— Daphnée Denis ???????? (@daphneedenis) May 16, 2023

Two defamation suits were held in connection with this case. At the end of the first, Johnny Depp’s complaint was dismissed. The actor had sued the British newspaper for defamation The Sun, who had published in 2018 the testimony of Amber Heard and headlined: «He is a wife beater» (“He beats his wife”). In his decision of November 2, 2020the High Court of London ruled against him, finding that twelve of the fourteen acts of violence mentioned in the pages of the tabloid were “substantially” true and that, more generally, “the vast majority of the allegations made by Ms. Heard against Mr. Depp have been proven”.

“Defamation with real malice”

The second trial was more talked about. This time, Johnny Depp attacked his ex-girlfriend directly, for a published platform in the Washington Post entitled “I spoke out against sexual violence, and I suffered the wrath of our culture: this must change”, and where she described herself as “a public figure representing domestic violence” without mentioning Depp’s name. Opposing the remarks made in this text, according to him damaging his reputation, the actor had launched new lawsuits for defamation, claiming 50 million dollars (46 million euros) in damages to Amber Heard. Who, she, had counter-attacked, asking for the double on the basis of “constant physical and sexual violence”, but also on a smear campaign which she had been the subject of on social networks.

After a month and a half of debates, the jurors of the court of Fairfax (Virginia) had concluded that the ex-spouses had mutually defamed each other, but had however estimated that the damages suffered by Johnny Depp were greater. So in their verdict delivered in Junethey had condemned Amber Heard for “defamation with real malice”, because of three precise sentences of the article of the Washington Post evoking her status as a victim of domestic violence, to pay 10 million dollars to her ex-husband… while condemning him himself to pay 2 million to the actress, because of the words of his lawyer who notably described as “prank” the violence mentioned by Amber Heard. After initially appealing the judgment, the latter finally resigned itself to finding a financial agreement to end this legal battle. The actress had been, throughout the trial, the target of a surge of hatred online.