I think she’s suffering from Lance Ito disease. I tried to cut her some slack during the first few weeks of the trial as I assumed she was compensating for being a woman on a case attracting intense misogyny, but the behavior she’s allowed Johnny and his team to get away with in the courtroom is just ridiculous. She’s allowed a complete circus, and the fact that Johnny’s fans, who’ve been tweeting death threats about Amber, were allowed to sit in the gallery as she was recounting her abuse is horrific. I don’t know much about her, but a couple of weeks ago I found a page of comments about her past judicial decisions and apparently she has a history of siding with abusive fathers in custody cases. I don’t know how accurate that is but I wouldn’t be surprised.
Her definition of hearsay is also frustratingly stringent and has let a lot of important evidence stay away from the jury - the text messages from Johnny’s assistant, Stephen Deuters, to Amber acknowledging Johnny’s abuse; and contemporaneous photos, therapist notes, and medical records confirming the abuse. While I think there’s objectively enough evidence to guarantee Johnny a loss, I can’t help but be disappointed with how much was left out, and I don’t blame Amber’s team since I know they’ve tried their best. Despite all the mockery they’ve gotten online, I do think Ben and Elaine have done a good job, especially compared to Johnny’s dollar store Elle Woods (how many attempts at a “Gotcha!” moment can one person have?) who’s probably angling for a Fox News gig after this.
Couple that with the fact the jury hasn’t been sequestered, and I’m nervous for the verdict. I’ve followed a lot of celebrity trials but never with the personal investment that I’ve had in this one, as you guys know I’ve been following the case and supporting Amber on this blog since the divorce in 2016. After all she’s been through, her losing would be devastating. The only potential upside would be her having a strong case for an appeal, but I’d hate for her to have to go through this all over again.
I’ve shared this article a few times over the past month on Twitter and my other blogs, but I think it’s a necessary, if totally gutting read - Dominick Dunne’s account of his daughter’s murder trial. Judges can make or break a case like this. And on a side note, it really makes me wish Dunne were still around to cover this trial. He always stood up for the victims and managed to cut through the bullshit. Even in the few defenses Amber’s gotten on social media, they’ve stopped short of defending her as a person and focused more on the wider misogyny and the politics of the smear campaign against her, which by no means is unimportant to acknowledge but it’s frustrating how so many people don’t want to stick up for her directly because she’s imperfect or “complicated.” I’ve said this so many times, but it feels like Nicole Brown all over again, except people aren’t satisfied Amber lived.