5:59 v originále: Depp v. Heard. The end of #MeToo movement?

The trial of Hollywood actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard sparked a wider debate about the fate of the MeToo movement, which shed light on how widespread sexual violence and harrasment are in our societies in the recent years. In her 2018 opinion piece Amber Heard described herself as a victim of domestic abuse. Depp - the jury at the Virginia court decided - deserved 15 million dollars for defamation, despite the fact that his name was never mentioned in his ex-wife's article.

What consequences will there be for current and future victims of domestic and sexual violence? Are other survivors going to be silenced by a threat of a possible libel suit?

The lawsuit between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp has been followed by the whole world for the past six weeks. But it's not just about money, as the Guardian's American commentator Moira Donegan suggests in the 5:59 podcast. There is much more at stake.

„So there's definitely a backlash. There's a lot of anger you see not just in this trial, but in some other elements in American culture about the MeToo movement, a sense that women's rights went too far and need to be disciplined,“ says Moira Donegan.

According to her, the entire trial was a show of misogyny and a massive disinformation campaign that was waged on social networks and in the mainstream media outlets against Amber Heard. Johnny Depp, on the other hand, has been the darling of public opinion in recent weeks.

Columnist Moira Donegan considers the Virginia trial verdict – 15 million dollars awarded to Johnny Depp – a dangerous precedent.

„This will embolden men who have abused women in the past to threaten women with lawsuits or to sue women into silence so that they cannot speak about their experiences. That will absolutely happen,“ says Moira Donegan.