Amber Heard was informed she might face jail time over perjury charges in her case against Johnny Depp
Amber Heard is being warned she might face jail over suspicions she manipulated injury images in her blockbuster court feud against Johnny Depp.
Defamation lawyer Aaron Minc said “more and more objective proof that she is lying about things under oath” might lead to a sentence for the actress.
He spoke out as the jury in the feuding couple’s case is scheduled to resume deliberations on Tuesday (31.05.22) after their legal teams finished presenting furious closing statements on Friday (27.05.22) at Fairfax Courthouse, Virginia.
Mine told website JOE “a few days ago” he didn’t think there was any chance Heard, 36, might face prosecution for anything she had said on the stand during her ex-husband Johnny Depp’s defamation trial.
He said: “I think that, as this case goes on, and we start seeing more and more objective evidence that she is lying about things under oath, that’s when it starts crossing the line into the possibility that she is fabricating evidence, fabricating photos, fabricating bruises, altering evidence and then submitting it.”
Minc cautioned that falsifying evidence is not only “really serious,” but also “really offensive” to the justice system.
He said: “I would hope that prosecutors would take a hard look at that because if there is really clear proof that she did that, that should surely be considered.”
“If it was shown that that was the case, and there’s certainly some doubt being asked in the trial today, that could potentially lead to a criminal prosecution and jail time.”
Heard has been accused by attorneys for Depp, 58, of lying about everything from needing to apply make-up to cover up bruising purportedly inflicted by the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor to neglecting to deliver the $7 million from their divorce settlement to good causes.
It comes after Sean Caulfield, partner at legal firm Hodge, Jones and Allen, said MailOnline Heard might face a perjury probe in the UK since misleading a court “cuts to the foundation of our judicial system.”
Asked if he could envision police probing charges she may have lied under oath about donating her $7 million, he added: “Yes, I think so.” While it may not be a fundamental issue in the case, perjury is the single worst threat and cuts to the core of our judicial system, thus the police may be called to investigate to illustrate that any member of the public who lies to the court can be prosecuted for perjury. “
The Depp v. Heard defamation trial has captivated public attention and spurred considerable debate on the condition of gender relations and the growth of the MeToo movement.
Seven of the 11 impaneled jurors picked for the trial when it started in April spent a couple of hours beginning to debate a verdict after the conclusion of closing arguments on Friday but are not likely to reach a verdict on whether Heard defamed Depp for another few days.
Depp is suing his ex-wife for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she authored for The Washington Post in which she branded herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”
The “Ed Wood” actor believes it wrongly indicates that he is a domestic abuser—which he adamantly rejects—and that it has left him unable to obtain gigs in Hollywood.
He is suing for $50 million, while Heard is countersuing for $100 million, accusing Mr. Depp of conducting a “smear campaign” against her and describing his action as a continuation of “abuse and harassment”.
