The verdict in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard libel trial sent shockwaves around the entertainment and political worlds. In a six-week courtroom drama that captivated the nation, Depp accused Heard, who has been portrayed as a hero of the #MeToo movement, of maliciously defaming him as an abuser. In response, Heard continued to portray Depp as abusive and out of control and accused him of maligning her in the media.
In the end, the jury found for Depp in all of his claims, awarding him $15 million, while siding with Heard in only one of her counter accusations and awarding her $2 million.
The impact of verdict was felt beyond Hollywood. There’s a political component, as well: The #MeToo movement took a hit, and now its critics and supporters are wondering where it goes from here.
When Heard took her allegations of abuse public in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, she became a poster child for #MeToo, the movement that coined the phrase, “Believe women.”
However, critics of the campaign repeatedly have insisted that it leaves the door wide open to false accusations that can forever tarnish the reputations and lives of innocent men. The trial re-ignited the #MenToo social movement that began in response to false sexual harassment allegations.
Now that the jury sided with Depp, who lost acting gigs following Heard’s accusations, the controversial #MeToo movement is under added scrutiny.
Supporters of the movement are concerned that the Depp-Heard verdict could have a chilling effect on women coming forward with legitimate accusations of abuse.
The official #MeToo website posted a statement attacking “the way in which #MeToo has been co-opted and manipulated during the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial,” calling it “a toxic catastrophe and one of the biggest defamations of the movement we have ever seen.”
“Over the last six weeks, we have been confronted with the mockery of assault, shame and blame,” the statement said. “Countless headlines proclaiming the death of #MeToo. News stories full of clickbait, having nothing to do with the actual work happening to interrupt sexual violence, have come across our screens with haste. No mention of the fact that, not only was this trial not about sexual violence at its core, but there has also been no headline asking the question that really matters – ‘What do we need to do to prevent anyone else from having to say #MeToo?’”
Opponents say that this is how the law is supposed to operate: innocent until proven guilty.