The case of Johnny Depp, against his ex-wife Amber Heard, has been much talked about recently. The trial took place because the actor accused Amber Heard of Defamation. But, what is defamation? Is defamation an abuse?
Defamation is any statement that affects the reputation of another person. This statement is considered a grievance because it negatively affects the person, and the statement can be made verbally or in write. When defamation is done in writing, it is considered slander.
The main objective of slander is to publicly discredit the person to generate hatred, contempt, or ridicule.
At trial, Mr. Deep argued that Ms. Heard damaged her image through the slurs she wrote in the op-ed that Ms. Heard published in the Washington Post in 2018.
Due to the alleged slander that Ms. Heard published, Mr. Deep alleged that he was affected in various ways, primarily financially. Mr. Deep presented as evidence during the trial canceled contracts and dismissals, which led to millionaire economic losses.
Finally, the 7-member jury agreed with Mr. Deep and found Ms. Heard guilty of defamation. This implies that the jury considered Ms. Heard deliberately affected the image of Mr. Deep and her statements are considered slanderous, and a form of abuse.
Defamation is considered a form of abuse because the main objective of defamation is to harm a third person. Defamation is a very common form of abuse, especially between spouses.
Many applicants to the VAWA program are unaware of the various types of abuse that exist and believe that abuse is only physical, but this is not the case. Abuse takes many forms, and defamation falls under the Abuse Battery that Immigration takes into consideration in self-petition cases.
Although the case of Mr. Deep had a lot of media connotations, every day, thousands of people face more subtle forms of defamation. Nowadays defame is used a lot by social networks. A small comment about the partner, parent, or child in a social network can be considered slander.
For example, in the case of spouses, a person can defame their partner to cause emotional and/or economic damage to their partner. Many times they write harmful messages about their partner on social networks, which can affect the image of the affected person. The abuser can write on social networks that his partner is a liar, irresponsible, or a bad person to slander her image.
It is always very important to remember that all abuse, including slander and defamation, is punishable by law and has legal repercussions. An immigrant victim of defamation by her partner or ex-partner can apply to VAWA and start a self-petition process.
We all have the same rights and benefits, and the VAWA act does not distinguish between people based on their gender, race, or sexual orientation. That is why a man can also prove that he is a victim of defamation and get justice.
Attorney Farrah Qazi, from Qazi Law offices, has helped hundreds of migrants who are victims of different types of abuse to obtain justice and improve their immigration status in the country.
If you think you have been a victim of slander, defamation, or other types of abuse, call us, we can help you.
Speak up. Be brave. Begin your case today with Attorney Farrah Qazi by clicking here 30 Minute Consult With Lawyer – Qazi Law offices or call 630 504 0648 today.