Unless you’ve been on social media detox, you’ve probably heard of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial. With cameras in the courtroom, the public was able to dissect every moment of testimony over the weeks, with plenty of moments going viral in the process on platforms like Twitter and TikTok. And Depp’s lawyer has recently explained that viral fist bump after Heard mentioned Kate Moss during the defamation trial.
As previously mentioned, the public was able to watch Amber Heard and Johnny Depp come for each other in court from the comfort of their own TVs. Countless TikToks have been made as a result, highlighting the actions of both the celebs and their attorneys. One of Depp’s lawyers that have since become a celebrity is Ben Chew, who opened up to Law & Crime network about the moment in court when he pumped his fist in excitement– and quickly went viral. As he explained,
There was an instance in which Ms. Heard actually did admit to punching Johnny. And that was what we call the staircase incident. But her explanation for that was she had to punch Johnny because she was convinced that, but for her punching Johnny, Johnny would have pushed her sister Whitney down the stairs the same way she had heard that he had pushed Kate Moss down the stairs. I lost my composure for a moment and did a fist pump because I knew that was not true.
While lawyers are known for having to keep their poker face on in the courtroom, people are still imperfect. And when Ben Chew saw a potential win in the defamation case in Virginia, he had a moment of weakness and showed just how excited he was. Although it was in the midst of Heard’s testimony which alleged physical violence at the hands of his client. In the end, everyone who saw the verdict will know how the case ultimately turned out.
Kate Moss being mentioned ended up being seemingly crucial to the defamation trial, namely because the 48 year-old model/actress ended up taking the stand herself in defense of Johnny Depp. She maintained that no physical abuse happened, including the stairs story that Amber Heard personally referenced. In his same interview, Ben Chew went on to explain the reasoning behind his fist pump, saying:
But that then put a lot of pressure on us because we really had to come up with a good- and fortunately Ms. Moss came forward. And this is a woman who’s never testified ever for any reason. A very private person, a very successful person, and she wanted to correct the record. And she did so quite explicitly. She said that Johnny had never pushed her down any stairs, he’d never hit her, he’d never kicked her during their three-year romantic relationship. And we thought that was another important moment as well because it debunked a defense to what otherwise appeared to be an instance of violence.
In retrospect, one can understand why Ben Chew might have given an inappropriate gesture in court via one fist bump. And while this might have gone unnoticed in some trials, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s courtroom has cameras showing every moment. And as such, footage of Chew quickly made its way around online.
Of course, Ben Chew wasn’t the only one of Johnny Depp’s lawyers who has become a public figure. Camille Vasquez also became the subject of countless TikToks, with some fans even thinking that she and Depp were dating. Vasquez has denied this claim, although she will continue to work with Depp on other lawsuits.
Johnny Depp has recently started booking new movie roles of his own, while old advertisements of his have started to air again on TV. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
