Internet Culture

‘Who would pay this much?’: ‘Top Secret’ notebook from Depp-Heard trial sells on eBay for $15K, sparking debate

‘Kinda embarrassing someone bought this for $15,000.’

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Gisselle Hernandez

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A notebook holding never-before-seen notes on the Johnny Depp–Amber Heard defamation trial recently sold for thousands of dollars on eBay. The seller, a criminal defense attorney based out of Louisville, Kentucky, put the notebook up for auction on June 1 at $0.99 where it received 142 bids before selling on June 8 at $14,969. 

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Larry Forman, the owner and seller of the notebook, told TMZ he attended the trial in Fairfax, Virginia, for days and jotted down courtroom notes, including details not seen on TV. He claimed the notebook contained about 70 pages of his own thoughts and observations and covered days 23-26 of the trial. 

With the Depp–Heard trial receiving massive amounts of coverage on TikTok—many have criticized Depp fans for mocking Heard in viral memes—it’s no surprise this latest information has blown up on the platform. TikToker Shannon Burns (@itsshannonburns) shared a video regarding the auction, stating that “the whole court case turned into a huge spectacle so it’s not surprising that he actually sold the notebook on eBay for just under $15,000 .” 

@itsshannonburns Who would pay this much for a notebook? #johnnydepp #amberheard ♬ original sound – Shannon Burns
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The video has been viewed over 171,000 times since being uploaded on Thursday. Users were divided on whether the notebook was even worth that much money.

“People are so obsessed w celebrity libel trials it’s truly sad,” one user wrote. 

“This whole thing feels ick,” another commented.

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“Kinda embarrassing someone bought this for $15000 get a life lmao,” a third replied. 

Others were simply glad Forman decided to donate the money to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. This is a dig at Heard on Forman’s part since Heard had pledged $3.5 million to CHLA but did not pay up. In a tweet, Forman clarified it would be a “Donation. Not “Pledge.” 

Burns told the Daily Dot she was also relieved Forman decided to give back the money he earned by selling the notebook. 

“I’m surprised it sold for so much but I’m glad to hear the guy is donating the money to charity,” she wrote via Instagram direct message. 

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