Jury’s duty in Depp-Heard trial doesn’t track public debate

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — When the jury in Johnny Depp’s libel suit against ex-wife Amber Heard resumes deliberations after the Memorial Day weekend, its focus will be on issues much removed from the public debate that has engulfed the proceedings. For six weeks, testimony focused on details of alleged abuse that Heard suffered. Public debate also focused on whether Heard is telling the truth about what she experienced. But the jury has been tasked not with determining who was abused, but whether Heard defamed Depp when she wrote a newspaper piece about domestic violence. Depp says he was defamed, even though the article doesn’t mention him. The jury verdict form spells out multiple hurdles Depp must clear to prevail.