Written by Sheryl Johnson, NAM Family Violence Center Director
Most everyone has heard at least one salacious detail from the current court case with Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. What is being missed in the noise and media sensationalism of the case (other celebrities, drugs, alcohol, and lavish lifestyles) is the abuse.
Mr. Depp has reported, for sometime, that Ms. Heard had been both emotionally and physically abusive toward him during their short marriage. Ms. Herd countered some of those original reports by publishing a story claiming she was the victim of domestic violence; which is the reason for the current defamation case in court.
While my job is not litigation or determining court cases, I do know a thing or two about domestic violence. Listening to the allegations that both parties have made... interpersonal violence was definitely a part of this relationship. The abuses seem to range from physical abuse (they both have submitted photos and evidence of injuries) to emotional/psychological abuse (evidence has been presented by both sides of threats, defecating on pillows, and constant belittling of the other).
While you and I are not in court and do not get to decide the outcome(s) of the case. I can tell you, it is a story about abuse. Who mistreated who? Who is the survivor? Who is the perpetrator? Or will those questions go unanswered or unresolved simply lost in the noise of the case?
