A stenographer for Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard claimed in a new interview that several jurors were “dozing off” throughout the testimony.
In an interview with Law & Crime Network shared Monday on Twitter, Judy Bellinger claimed that several jurors were not fully focused during the trial.
“There were a few jurors that were dozing off,” she said.
Bellinger claimed she caught jurors in both the front and back rows falling asleep.
“It was tough because there was a lot of video deposition,” she said. “And they’d just sit there, and all of the sudden I’d see their head drop.”
The trial concluded last week, with the jury almost completely siding with Depp, who sued Heard for defamation over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote in which she claimed he had committed domestic violence, though she didn’t name him. Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from Heard. Heard was given $2 million in damages in her countersuit against Depp.
Depp celebrated the verdict, saying, “Six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”
Heard slammed the outcome, claiming it demonstrated Depp’s power.
“I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband,” she said.