Court stenographer says a 'few' Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard jurors dozed off during trial
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A few jurors dozed off during the course of Johnny Depp's defamation trial against Amber Heard, according to the court stenographer who recorded the six-week proceeding.
In a video posted to its YouTube page on Monday, stenographer Judy Bellinger told Law&Crime Network that a few jurors struggled to stay awake, particularly during the video depositions. "There were a few jurors who were dozing off," Bellinger said, noting that the sleeping jurors were in the front and back rows. "And it was tough."
"There were a lot of video depositions and they would just sit there, and all of a sudden I'd see their head drop," she added. Bellinger also said that the most attentive juror was an alternate and did not weigh in on the final verdict. (Alternates step in if a juror can't continue in the trial for reasons such as illness or emergencies, but don't decide the verdict unless called to replace a juror.)
"Unfortunately, the one alternate that was on there, she was probably the one that listened the most," the stenographer said. "I watched her facial expressions. She was very deeply into every word that was being said. I thought she would've made a great juror, and she did not get to see it to the end. She was paying close attention."
The seven-person jury ruled in favor of Depp on June 1, finding that Heard intentionally and maliciously defamed her ex-husband when she wrote her 2018 Washington Post op-ed chronicling her experiences as a domestic violence survivor. Heard plans to appeal the verdict.
Later in the interview, Bellinger addressed rumors that she attended a party with Depp and his legal team following closing arguments on May 27, saying she had left her recording equipment with transcriptions of the day's trial in the courthouse, and Depp's lawyers retrieved it and had her pick it up at their hotel.
At the hotel, Bellinger met Depp and posed for a photo that has gone viral. "I was in there for probably less than 10 minutes, and he just hugged me and thanked me again," she said. "And I had a couple of other people there, and I got my equipment, and I came out."
Last week, the jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, the latter of which was reduced to Virginia's statutory cap of $350,000. Heard scored a small victory in her countersuit, receiving $2 million in compensatory damages and no punitive damages.
STEVE HELBER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Johnny Depp and court stenographer Judy Bellinger
Heard said she was "heartbroken" in a statement following the verdict. "The disappointment I feel today is beyond words," she added. "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."
Depp said he was "humbled" by the victory in his own statement. "False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me," he said. "It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career."
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