A former Los Angeles District Attorney has shared her views on who will win the high profile Amber Heard and Johnny Depp defamation trial.
With the jury poised to continue deliberations when court resumes on May 31, lawyer Emily D. Baker has shared her thoughts on the verdict.
The legal expert has commentated on every minute of the “immensely wild” trial over the past six weeks via her YouTube channel.
In a recent podcast, Baker said she went into the trial believing that neither Depp or Heard would win the case.
“I came in thinking that it was most possible [that they would both lose],” she said on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast.
However she said she can now see a path to Depp winning the case, based on one key detail in Amber Heard’s testimony.
During her time on the stand, Heard confirmed that she retweeted the Washington Post opinion piece she authored. Given her retweet included the headline that Depp claims is defamatory, Baker believes this has given Depp’s case an advantage.
Baker also clarified the various outcomes that could come from the high profile trial.
“The jury can find no-one is liable, no-one defamed no-one, no-one defamed anyone, no defamation at all. Everyone loses,” she explained.
“The jury could find that one side wins. I do not see a path to both sides winning on defamation. If you believe that Amber Heard didn’t defame Johnny Depp then you can get to them calling her a hoaxer is in fact defamatory.
“If you think she didn’t defame Johnny Depp or if you think that she did defame Johnny Depp then calling her a hoaxer or a liar is not necessarily going to be defamation in your eyes.
“I don’t think both can win, I think both can lose.
“This jury can hang. If there is a person or two on the jury, because it has to be unanimous, seven are deliberating it has to be unaminious. If there are a few, one or two whatever on the jury, that believe vehemently one side or the other … if at the end of that closing, you believe one side or the other strongly, how do you come about to the other side?
“If you believe Amber Heard lied about Johnny Depp, are you ever going to say ‘No, Amber Heard didn’t defame Johnny Depp.’ And if you believe Johnny Depp perpetrated horrific abuse on Amber Heard are you ever going to say ‘No, she defamed Johnny Depp.’ And that’s where you end up with a potential for a hung jury.
“The potential for a hung jury is that if you believe one side strongly, nothing is going to sway you.”
[ViaVia]
