Johnny Depp's lawyers say claims of paid online campaign to smear Amber Heard are 'categorically false' and 'absurd'

• Johnny Depp's lawyers have denied claims that the actor orchestrated an online campaign for support.
• Social media support was overwhelmingly in Depp's favor in his defamation case against Amber Heard.

Johnny Depp's lawyers have denied that the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor paid for a social media campaign to support him and smear Amber Heard during his defamation case against his ex-wife.

Last week, Depp was awarded $15 million in damages after a jury found that Heard defamed him when she described herself as a victim of domestic violence in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. The six-week trial, which was streamed online, was a big topic on social media, with celebrities and fans of both actors sharing their opinions on the proceedings.

On Wednesday, Depp's attorneys Camille Vasquez and Ben Chew were asked in an interview on the "Today" show about claims that an online campaign had been orchestrated in support of Depp.

"That is utterly baseless," Chew said. "In fact, early in the case, the prior chief judge White had thrown out account and counterclaims that related to that. It was absolutely absurd and baseless."

Vasquez then said it was "categorically false" that Depp or his agents tried to pay for or orchestrate an online campaign in support of the actor.

—TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 8, 2022

The lawyers were also asked if the social media response may have had an impact on the jury's verdict to uphold Depp's defamation claim.

"I don't think there's any reason to believe that the jurors violated their oath," Chew replied. "And again, that suggestion was disappointing to hear."

Throughout the trial, a cohort of Depp fans took over Twitter and TikTok, posting fancams, memes, and supportive messages about the actor, suggesting they thought he should win the trial. In total, the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp received 33 billion TikTok views, whereas #JusticeForAmberHeard only had 86 million views.

After the verdict last week, Heard's lawyer Charlson Bredehoft told Guthrie on the "Today" show that social media "absolutely" had an effect on the trial.

"There's no way they couldn't have been influenced by it," she added. "And it was horrible. It was really, really lopsided."

The jury last week also found Depp liable for defamation against Heard when one of his attorneys claimed her allegations of sexual abuse were a "hoax" and awarded the "Aquaman" star $2 million in damages.

Alafair Hall, a spokesperson for Heard, said the actor planned to appeal the verdict, per The New York Times.