KEY POINTS
- Amber Heard's testimony is too melodramatic compared to Johnny Depp
- Heard took a risky approach, and if jurors did not believe her, they would punish her
- The level of detail Heard remembered the alleged abuse is not the way typical victims recall traumatic events
Amber Heard testified in Johnny Depp's defamation case against her in Virginia, and here's what a trial consultant has to say about her testimony.
Heard talked about Depp's alleged drug-fueled binges and detailed the alleged abuse she suffered from his hand in court. According to trial consultant Jill Huntley Taylor, she took a riskier approach that could stain her credibility if her lawyers couldn't corroborate her claims in the next couple of weeks.
"Amber Heard has taken a riskier approach. Her claims of abuse are very extreme. If the jurors believe her, she should see a windfall to award her and punish Depp," Taylor told Insider. "However, if jurors do not believe her, they will punish her. For that reason, her credibility seems paramount to the jurors' decisions."
Brett Ward, co-chair of the matrimonial and family law practice at Blank Rome, weighed in on Heard's testimony. He acknowledged that both Heard and Depp are actors, but the "Aquaman" star's testimony appeared too melodramatic.
"Unfortunately, when she talks about actual incidents of violence, her comments go from victim to actress, and that's a real big problem for her," Ward told the outlet.
Ward pointed out how Heard noticed the dirty carpet after Depp allegedly slapped her and knocked her down to the floor. For Ward, the description of the events sounded "like a soliloquy."
Christa Ramey, a co-founder of LA-based civil litigation firm Ramey Law PC, agreed and pointed out that the level of detail Heard remembered the alleged assault was not how typical victims remember traumatic events because they tend to have "fragmented memories."
"Your mind works to protect you and so it kind of buries fragments of memories in different parts of your brain, and what you recall doesn't come out normally as a story with a beginning, middle, and end," Ramey said.
Juda Engelmayer, the founder of HeraldPR and a crisis public relations expert, said he wouldn't recommend Heard's approach to his clients. He also noted the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star's strategic reactions, like smiling and laughing, seemingly signaled the jury that Heard's testimony should not be taken seriously.
Janine Driver, the founder and president of the Body Language Institute who reportedly "trained thousands of law enforcement officers on how to interpret unsaid messages," said Depp's body language when he listened to Heard's testimony about an alleged violent fight suggested confusion and disagreement.
Depp was "trying to make sense of what she is saying [because] it doesn't make sense," Driver added.
Meanwhile, Driver said Heard's gestures made her "not believable." In her expert opinion, the "You Can't Lie to Me" author said Heard "is lying through her teeth."
In a separate interview with CourtTV, Driver said, "I think parts of it [Heard's testimony] are true, and many of it is deceptive."
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she wrote about being a survivor of domestic abuse. Depp claimed that even if he wasn't mentioned by name, it was clearly about him, and it ruined his reputation and career because Disney dropped him from the multi-billion franchise "Pirates of the Caribbean" four days after the op-ed ran.
Actress Amber Heard listens to testimony in the defamation case filed against her by her ex-husband Johnny Depp Photo: POOL via AFP / JIM WATSON
