Johnny Depp Wins Historic Lawsuit – Has Eyes Set Already On His Next Target
(TargetLiberty.org) – Actor Johnny Depp celebrated last week after a jury ruled his ex-wife Amber Heard defamed him. Is the legal victory the end of the matter, though? Lawyers are now speculating if Depp could sue the Washington Post, too.
Johnny Depp verdict: Legal experts believe Washington Post could be held liable too, but case would be tricky https://t.co/ryQ9BoG3JK
— Chris 🇺🇸 (@Chris_1791) June 2, 2022
In 2018, Heard wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post saying she was sexually abused; some say she seemingly accused her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. He sued. Then, on June 1, a Fairfax, Virginia jury found Heard’s statements to be malicious and aimed at defaming the famous actor. However the Washington Post wasn’t a defendant in the case — and some of Depp’s supporters believe the newspaper deserves its own turn in court for publishing the op-ed without first checking the facts.
After the shock verdict, attorney and legal analyst Brian Claypool told journalists newspapers have a duty to check information before they publish it and “potentially damage the reputation of somebody irreparably.” There’s no denying Depp’s reputation has been badly battered by his six-year legal battle with Heard, and that the actress’s claims in the op-ed were particularly damaging. Claypool called the Washington Post “the real culprit,” and said if it hadn’t published the op-ed, the defamation case would never have happened.
The newspaper recently added an editor’s note to the op-ed after Depp’s victory — which is still available on its website. The note points out a jury decided Heard’s three most controversial statements in the article were “false and defamatory.” Will that be enough to protect the WaPo from legal action?
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