Johnny Depp won his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard on Tuesday. The jury awarded Johnny Depp significantly more damages than Amber Heard, making it a legal victory for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor.
Johnny Depp Wins Defamation Case
On Tuesday night, the jury in the case, which was underway in the Fairfax County, Virginia for six weeks, announced that Johnny has successfully demonstrated that Amber had defamed him with charges of domestic abuse with her op-ed in the Washington Post.
After the judgment came out, Johnny released a statement on his social media account that read, “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye.”
“False, very serious, and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career. And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled,” he wrote.
Here are five points on the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard ruling:
- The jury awarded Depp quite more damages than Heard, making it a legal victory for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor. It awarded $15 million ($10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages) to Depp and $2 million to Heard.
- Depp had sued Heard over her 2018 article in The Washington Post, for suggesting that he was an abuser and sought $50 million in damages. Heard countersued her ex-husband for $100 million over statements made by Depp’s lawyer Adam Walkman. The jury found Amber Heard had defamed Depp in three separate statements and that Depp had defamed her with one of his attorney’s remarks.
- Johnny Depp welcomed the ruling by saying “the jury gave me my life back”. “From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” he said. “The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun,” said the actor.
- Heard called the verdict a setback for women. “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously,” she said. She said she’s “heartbroken” that the evidence she produced was “not enough” to qualify her claims as against Depp’s power and influence.
- Hard claims and counterclaims headlined the high-profile trial of the two Hollywood stars. Heard, in her affidavit, said Depp was physically and verbally abusive, and also blamed him for sexual violence. Meanwhile, Depp also accused Heard of domestic abuse. Both had denied the allegations made by the other.
