Depp V Heard Court Case is Reddit’s Biggest Celebrity Lawsuit, Data Reveals
The world has been gripped by the ongoing coverage of Johnny Depp V Amber Heard, which had been live streamed since April 11th and due to continue for weeks as legal professionals and the public alike all debate the result of the case.
However, it’s not just this legal case that has captivated public attention both here and across the pond; invasion of privacy, copyright conflicts and even the use of frozen embryos has been challenged in public courts over the last decade, generating enormous amounts of public interest on social media.
Seeking to find out which celebrity lawsuit is the most talked about online, UpCounsel.com (https://www.upcounsel.com/) generated a seed list of court cases from esteemed sources, scraping thousands of Reddit comments and upvotes, thus crowning the most shocking celebrity lawsuit of the last decade!
The Top 10 Celebrity Court Cases, Ranked
| Ranking | Celebrity Lawsuit | Case description | Total Combined Upvotes and Comments on Reddit |
| #1 | Johnny Depp V Amber Heard | Defamation in a national paper | 148,649 |
| #2 | Britney Spears V Jamie Spears | Conservatorship | 127,854 |
| #3 | Scarlett Johannson V Disney | For releasing a film via Disney Plus, not cinemas | 108,189 |
| #4 | Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan V Harvey Weinstein | Industry-wide sexual assault and bullying | 66,134 |
| #5 | Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop V California | Health benefits of ‘jade egg’ | 56,454 |
| #6 | Bill Cosby V Lili Bernard | Drug and rape allegations | 53,319 |
| #7 | Hulk Hogan V Gawker | Sex tape illegally released | 32,667 |
| #8 | Keira Knightley V Daily Mail | Defamation after death of anorexic teen | 19,241 |
| #9 | Marvin Gaye V Robin Thicke/Pharell Williams | Plagiarism of music | 17,462 |
| #10 | Justin Bieber V ‘Danielle’ | Sexual assault allegations | 16,039 |
The Top 3…
Johnny Depp V Amber Heard – 148,649 Upvotes
Incredibly, the defamation trial featuring Hollywood stars Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has already amassed the most subreddit upvotes of all the celebrity legal cases in the last 10 years. The trial ended on the 1st of June, with Heard having been found guilty of defamation and being instructed by the court to pay damages of $15million. This case has been closely watched by people all over the world, with full TV and web coverage available during every period of the trial, with that certainly having an effect on the huge quantity of upvotes; 148,649.
Britney Spears V Jamie Spears – 127,854 Upvotes
Data has revealed that the most talked about celebrity lawsuit was the case between Britney Spears and her controlling father Jamie Spears. The hotly contested conservatorship was terminated by a US judge, resulting in personal and financial freedom for the musician. Fans launched the ‘#FreeBritney’ campaign on social media, gaining a huge following. Indeed, on Reddit alone this case got a remarkable 127, 854 upvotes and comments from the top 5 subreddits alone.
Scarlett Johannson V Disney – 105,613 Upvotes
With just over a hundred thousand comments and upvotes (105,613), the breach of contract case between Scarlett Johannson and Disney is in second place. The Hollywood star Scarlett Johannson accused Disney for sacrificing Black Widow’s box office potential to promote its new Disney+ streaming service, leading to a breach of contract where an exclusive theatrical release was guaranteed.
In light of the Platinum Jubilee, Royalty makes an appearance…
| Rank | Celebrity Lawsuit | Case description | Total Comments & Upvotes on Reddit |
| 20 | Meghan Markle V Associated Newspapers | Invasion of privacy | 1,049 |
| 21 | Kate Middleton V Closer Magazine | Invasion of privacy | 845 |
Meghan Markle V Associated Newspapers – 1,049 combined comments and upvotes
With 1,049 combined upvotes and comments on Reddit, the case of Meghan Markle V Associated Newspapers Ltd took the media world by storm. In 2019, the actress and wife of Prince Harry took the newspaper group to court over an alleged breach of privacy, with a deeply personal letter sent by Meghan to her father being published by the press. After a 3-year long battle, Meghan won the initial suit and the Court of Appeals case, setting new legal precedence over rights to privacy.
Kate Middleton V Closer Magazine – 845 combined comments and upvotes
A combined 845 upvotes and comments across prevalent subreddits highlights the lawsuit between Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, and celebrity news outlet Closer to be smaller than others investigated, but still hugely noteworthy. The case pertains to paparazzi shots obtained and published by Closer in 2022 that show the Duchess sunbathing topless in a private chateau in France.
