During Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard, the internet has swayed significantly in his favor, but one legal expert told Insider that the same cannot be said of a jury.

Many others accuse the Aquaman star of lying and fake-crying in her testimony, and comment sections all over the internet are filled with pro-Depp and anti-Heard vitriol. It’s inevitable; the “Justice for Johnny” hashtag, for example, has nearly 10 billion views on TikTok, while the “Amber Heard is a liar” hashtag has about 2 billion views as of this writing.

The 36-year-old actress made a series of damaging charges against her 58-year-old ex-husband during her evidence last week, including that he s*xually r*ped her with a liquor bottle and physically tortured her repeatedly.

Many people on the internet do not believe any of the accusations she has leveled against the Pirates of the Caribbean star.

However, some legal experts feel it will be harder to convince juries that Depp is completely innocent in this scenario.

Former district attorney Emily D. Baker told Insider that jurors were urged not to conduct their own research on the case and that their decision should be based solely on what they hear in court.

Fans have managed to gain access to the courtroom to watch the trial, and some have even waited outside with signs reading “Justice for Johnny.” Every day, several people may be heard booing at Heard.

“For me, that kind of stuff crosses the line,” Baker said. “What’s playing out in court is playing out in court, but I just don’t think there’s that need for vitriol outside of a courthouse.”

Baker said jurors may think the same, which “can actually hurt Johnny Depp’s side.”

“If the jurors leaving the courthouse to see people out there booing, I think that could actually make them more empathetic to her,” she said.

The current defamation case is based on Heard’s 2018 Washington Post op-ed about the risks women endure when they speak out against abuse. As a result, the jury, having witnessed firsthand the consequences of Heard’s assertions, may rule in her favor.

“That could just impact their state of mind where they’re like, ‘I’m watching this happen,'” Baker said. “It can just be something in their mind saying, you know, she wasn’t a hundred percent wrong in this article.”

Source: vt.co