Depp-Heard trial: Social media erupts over final verdict

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Johnny Depp fans cheer outside of the courthouse following verdict reading

Johnny Depp fans gather outside of Fairfax County Circuit Court after the jury awards the actor $15 million in damages in his defamation trial against ex-wife and actress, Amber Heard. (Fox News Digital)

Twitter users had a lot to say about the final verdict on the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial on Wednesday.

The seven-week trial finally concluded with the seven-member jury ruling in favor of Depp, awarding him with $15 million over his defamation case against his ex-wife. The jury also awarded Heard $2 million, finding that Depp had defamed her through his attorney.

Several conservatives celebrated the decision, calling it an end to the #MeToo movement and a refutation of feminists.

Townhall columnist Larry O’Connor wrote "RIP ‘Believe all women.’"

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Larry O'Connor tweeted "RIP ‘Believe all women.’" (Twitter)

OutKick founder Clay Travis tweeted "Amber Heard gets $2 million for a defamation claim against Johnny Depp’s agents. Appeal likely coming, but this likely represents a symbolic end to the me too era of believing all women no matter what."

Clay Travis tweeted "Amber Heard gets $2 million for a defamation claim against Johnny Depp’s agents. Appeal likely coming, but this likely represents a symbolic end to the me too era of believing all women no matter what." (Twitter)

Meanwhile, some liberals called out the verdict, claiming that it sends a bad message to domestic abuse survivors.

Frequent MSNBC guest and justice correspondent for The Nation Elie Mystal tweeted, "Holy crap, they ruled for Depp. The takeaway for domestic abusers is going to be ‘Threaten to sue your ex for defamation if they talk about what happened.’"

Elie Mystal tweeted "Holy crap, they ruled for Depp. The takeaway for domestic abusers is going to be ‘Threaten to sue your ex for defamation if they talk about what happened.’" (Twitter)

Reuters editor Rossalyn Warren wrote, "What a deeply bleak outcome. There will be victims who watched this case unfold as a vicious abuse spectacle and a joke on social media, and they will not come forward. And all this case has done is fuel a false narrative that women make domestic violence claims to ‘ruin’ men."

Rossalyn Warren tweeted "What a deeply bleak outcome. There will be victims who watched this case unfold as a vicious abuse spectacle and a joke on social media, and they will not come forward. And all this case has done is fuel a false narrative that women make domestic violence claims to ‘ruin’ men." (Twitter)

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HuffPo entertainment editor Daniel Welsh tweeted, "To survivors of abuse and domestic violence, I am so sorry. Look after yourselves, if that means going offline for a little bit then pls pls pls do it. Take care."

Daniel Welsh tweeted "To survivors of abuse and domestic violence, I am so sorry. Look after yourselves, if that means going offline for a little bit then pls pls pls do it. Take care." (Twitter)

Other users wondered whether the Washington Post, who published Amber Heard’s original op-ed that defamed Depp in 2018, also deserves to be sued for defamation.

Washington Free Beacon writer Joe Gabriel Simonson wrote "why did the washington post let this kind of defamation in print."

Joe Gabriel Simonson tweeted "why did the washington post let this kind of defamation in print." (Twitter)

"One fact that clearly emerged from the trial: the Amber Heard op-ed in the @washingtonpost that the jury just found defamed Johnny Depp was ghost-written by @ACLU, after Heard promised to pay them $7 million (a promise she never fulfilled). They have a lot to answer for," journalist Glenn Greenwald tweeted.

Glenn Greenwald tweeted "One fact that clearly emerged from the trial: the Amber Heard op-ed in the @washingtonpost that the jury just found defamed Johnny Depp was ghost-written by @ACLU, after Heard promised to pay them $7 million (a promise she never fulfilled). They have a lot to answer for." (Twitter)

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The case originally began in 2019 when Depp sued Heard for identifying herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." While she didn’t mention Depp by name, Depp’s lawyers determined that the piece falsely labeled Heard as a domestic violence victim.