Hashtags like #JusticeforJohnnyDepp have racked up nearly 3 billion views on TikTok. A petition to replace Amber Heard in Aquaman 2 now sits at over 3 million signatures.
Reeling from bad press surrounding the dueling defamation case between her and ex-husband Depp, Heard has parted ways with her crisis management firm and hired a new PR firm, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Precision Strategies, helmed by Barack Obama’s former deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter, had been steering Heard’s public relations strategy. The actress, expected to take the stand for the first time on Wednesday, dropped the firm last week in favor of Shane Communications. The New York Post first reported the shake-up.
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Depp has testified for several days of the trial, now into its fourth week, and has largely been able to control the narrative.
The trial centers on a December 2018 op-ed Heard published in The Washington Post in which she characterized herself as a domestic abuse survivor. Depp alleged Heard defamed him in the column, which didn’t mention him by name, since the claims corresponded with the time the two were married. After Depp sued for $50 million, Heard shot back with a $100 million counterclaim.
Shane Communications, led by former ICM vp corporate communications David Shane, has prior experience dealing with Depp. The firm represented the actor’s former business manager, The Management Group, after it was sued by Depp for breach of contract (the parties eventually settled). Among other strategies, Shane Communications helped to emphasize claims that Depp had a compulsive spending habit that led to his financial troubles.
Shane’s team includes partner Alafair Hall with STI Management founder Neal Lenarsky and former WMA chief executive Jim Wiatt as advisors.
Heard will present her first witness on Tuesday after Depp closes his case. Dawn Hughes, a psychologist, is expected to testify that Heard was subject to severe abuse. In a prior deposition, she said that Depp’s allegedly defamatory statements worsened Heard’s post-traumatic stress disorder.
Over the past three weeks, Depp has testified and presented witnesses supporting his claims that Heard faked her injuries and lied about being abused to boost her career. Police officers have testified that they saw no bruises on Heard’s face the night they were called to the former couple’s house. A psychologist has testified that Heard displayed symptoms of borderline personality disorder.
On cross-testimony, the psychologist conceded that she had dinner and drinks with Depp and his legal team before being hired as an expert.
Precision didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
