The Root's Amber Heard article on 'a message to Black women everywhere' comes under fire online

The Amber Heard vs. Johnny Depp defamation trial finally concluded with the latter winning his defamation lawsuit against the Aquaman star. The seven-body jury shared a unanimous verdict and said that Heard defamed Depp in her 2018 The Washington Post op-ed.

In the article titled, “I spoke up against sexual violence—and faced our culture’s wrath,” Heard claimed to be a survivor of domestic abuse. Although the story did not name Depp, his legal team alleged that it hinted toward the actor being Heard’s potential abuser.

Depp sued Heard for libel and filed a $50 million lawsuit against the actress for damaging his public image and negatively affecting his career. Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming that he assaulted her multiple times during their relationship.

Following nearly seven weeks of deliberations, jurors at the Fairfax County court ruled in favor of the Pirates of the Caribbean star and ordered Heard to pay him $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages (the latter reduced to $350,000 as per Virginia law).

Amber Heard was also awarded $2 million as she won one claim regarding Johnny Depp’s former attorney Adam Waldman defaming her through his past “abuse hoax” statements against the actress.

Shortly after the verdict, The Root published an article discussing the impact of the Depp vs. Heard verdict on African-American women. However, the publication landed in hot waters as social media users criticized the article online.

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A look into The Root’s article on Amber Heard’s defamation trial verdict

As the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial came to an end with the former winning the longstanding case, The Root published an article analyzing the impact of the verdict and Heard’s loss on African-American women.

In an article titled “Amber Heard Verdict Sends A Message To Black Women Everywhere,” writer Candace McDuffie questioned:

“If the mistreatment of a wealthy blonde haired, blue-eyed White actress is ridiculed by the world, what does that mean for Black women?”

The story condemned the treatment Heard received from around the world during the legal battle and claimed that her loss would act as a “setback” for Black women who cannot use money, fame or color as their armor:

“For Black women, who do not have whiteness or fame or money to protect them, Heard’s words of the verdict as a setback ring especially true. Whether you believe her or not, the way the world treated Heard was downright cruel and uncalled for.”

It further read:

“Not only were her bruises placed under a microscope by forensic experts during the trial, social media joined in on the skepticism.”

The article further addressed how people turned Heard into “memes and murals” for “mocking the validity of her abuse” and noted that some also believed that she was the “aggressor” in the relationship with Depp:

“If all of Heard’s privilege couldn’t protect her from such viciousness, Black women—like always—remain even more vulnerable.”

The writer also referenced other celebrities who have been victims of abuse like Rihanna, Tina Turner, and Megan Thee Stallion, and claimed that the pain endured by African-American women is always turned into “punchlines” and their humanity is always “invalidated.”

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Twitter reacts to The Root’s Amber Heard article

The Root came under fire for an article on the impact of Amber Heard's defamation case loss on Black women (Image via Getty Images)

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have faced major online scrutiny ever since the beginning of their defamation trial in April. As their high-profile case finally came to an end with Depp’s victory, the stars continued to garner media attention.

Shortly after the ruling, The Root came under fire for publishing an article about the impact of Heard’s loss on African-American women. Several people also took to Twitter to react to the story:

As reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if The Root will address the response to their article on Heard's legal loss against Depp in the days to come.