The reason the verdict on this court case is so important is that it’s coming as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have separate lawsuits in Virginia.
For his part, Johnny Depp has also made claims related to abuse from Heard.
Thus, unlike the Op Ed at the center of the lawsuit which was not specific her claims were about Depp, Heard is and has been saying her ex was her abuser as part of these court cases.
Depp sued Heard first, claiming she tarnished his name in an Op Ed that she wrote.