Obviously, this is not true in every single case but the Depp v. Heard case is a good example of this powerful statement.
The Johnny Depp trial captured the nation. Why? It had all of the components of a complex yet Hollywoodesq trial. They are now calling it “the defamation trial of the century.” It had glamour, movie stars, sex, scandals, America’s favorite pirate and razzle dazzle, Money, fame, beauty, this is what American culture clamors for. But what happens when the movie star bombs on the stand? I think it is safe to say that no one believed Amber Heard. From the moment she took the stand there was something rehearsed, inauthentic, coached about her “performance.” At the end of the day jurors are sworn and take an oath to uphold their civic duty, which is to sit and listen to the evidence and at the end of the trial, take the court’s instructions to the jury room to deliberate and decide the facts, that’s why they are called “the trier of facts”. The problem with Amber’s testimony is that it just wasn’t believable. I believe she thought they were just peasant jurors but I have learned over the years that jurors are quite smart. They have a front row seat to all of the action. Her testimony compared to Johnny Depp’s was malingering, over-dramatic, over the top, and inconsistent. She never shed a tear. She continually tried to indoctrinate the jury by constantly staring at them. One of the jurors was interviewed and said that “it made him so uncomfortable that he just stopped looking at her when she turned to speak to the jury.” What did we learn from this? If you are a defendant in a civil or criminal trial tell the truth, be yourself, don’t overact, and don’t stare at the jury too much! The jury will get it right, most of the time.
