How One Sentence in Amber Heard's Testimony Could Sink Her Case—Lawyer

Could one revelation in Amber Heard's testimony cost her her entire case? One lawyer thinks it's a possibility.

Heard is being sued for defamation by her ex-husband Johnny Depp and the jury is set to begin deliberations today (May 31) and it is unknown how long it will take to reach a verdict.

The waiting game is on after seven weeks of the multimillion-dollar trial that saw allegations of severe abuse made by both parties and created a frantic media storm and social media circus.

The world has been watching the defamation trial unfold after Depp brought a lawsuit against Heard for $50 million over an op-ed she wrote in 2018 that was published in The Washington Post. Depp's lawyers argue that the op-ed is obviously about him, even though he wasn't named in the article. Heard is countersuing Depp for $100 million.

In the trial's final week last week, both Depp and Heard took to the stand one last time and Heard spoke of the op-ed that sparked this lawsuit in the beginning, and stated to the jury that she wrote the piece because of her ex-husband's "power."

"I know so many people will come out and saw whatever for him that's his power," Heard said. "That's why I wrote the op-ed. I was speaking to that phenomenon."

A number of witnesses, including Depp's ex-girlfriend Kate Moss, directly contradicted some of Heard's allegations during the trial.

This admission from Heard, about the supposed "power" that Depp wields caused a stir on social media last week with one TikTok of the moment with the caption, "SHE JUST ADMITTED IT. SHE'S DONE" clocking up almost 150,000 views.

Meanwhile on Twitter, one tweet reading, "thank you amber for admitting the op-ed was about johnny depp 👏 i rest my case your honor," amassed more than 14,000 likes.

While another added: "She literally admitted to doing what she was being accused of. She's her own worst enemy...And it's absolutely glorious to watch."

Could this admission have cost Heard her case?

David Lin, an attorney in New York who specializes in defamation law, believes that Heard's motives for writing the piece are more important than whether she actually wrote it or not.

In terms of her potential liability, Amber Heard's motive for writing the op-ed is somewhat relevant, but it isn't really a main issue," Lin told Newsweek.

"In order for Johnny to win his case, he needs to prove that Amber wrote the op-ed, that her statements were false and were about him, and that they injured his reputation."

Lin explained that because Depp is a public figure, his team will also need to show that Heard knew the statements were false when she made them, or that she "recklessly disregarded whether they were true or false."

"If Amber was jealous of Johnny's power, that can be important evidence to bolster the idea that she knew her statements were false but made them anyway," Lin continued. "But jealousy, spite or ill will by itself usually isn't enough to show liability.

"If, however, Johnny wins the case, then Amber's motives for making the statement (including a desire to undermine his power) can be extremely relevant for an award of punitive damages."