Johnny Depp Already Won Regardless of Defamation Trial Ruling, Experts Explain Why
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard formally had their closing arguments, and experts believe that the actor already won the case.
On Friday, the highly-publicized trial reached the last day, where both parties presented their final remarks. Depp and Heard's team summarized the allegations they presented since the proceedings started in April.
Following the heated exchange inside the courtroom, experts offered their two cents on the matter and said that the "Pirates of the Caribbean" topped the case in terms of public opinion.
Texas civil attorney Katherine Lizardo told New York Post that Depp already won as he got people's support even if the ruling would not be in his favor.
"When [Johnny Depp] stepped off the stand, I think he already won based on his definition of winning. Because he already obtained the favor of the court of public opinion ... once he told his story," she said.
She added that, for Depp, winning the legal side of the defamation case does not matter at all as his potential triumph would only serve as the "icing on the cake."
The expert explained that Depp's main goal was to clear his name - and he had already succeeded in doing so.
This mirrored California entertainment lawyer Mitra Ahouraian's opinion, saying that the main goal of filing the defamation trial was to build the public's trust in Depp again and clear his record from any damaging public opinion.
For Ahouraian, having his fans support him until the end is more important than the actual lawsuit.
Depp successfully did it, especially since televising the trial was a loss for the "Aquaman" actress, per president of public relations firm Herald PR Juda Engelmayer.
A Sneak Peek Into Johnny Depp, Amber Heard's Closing Arguments
The experts' comments came after Depp and Heard's attorney marked the final showdown on Friday.
The actor's attorney, Camille Vasquez, left a powerful message once again, saying that Heard is "either a victim of truly horrific abuse" or "a woman who's willing to say absolutely anything."
She added that the actress showed profound cruelty toward Depp.
Meanwhile, Heard's attorney Ben Rottenborn accused Depp of having almost all of his witnesses on his payroll.
"Let's see the monster. Let's see the monster in the flesh," he said before playing the video that Heard sent to TMZ.
The court has not announced when it will release its ruling.
