Depp-Heard defamation case: Depp wins, Heard asked to pay $15M
The high-profile defamation case between ex-spouses Johnny Depp and Amber Heard finally concluded on Thursday. After closing statements were in, jurors in Fairfax County, Virginia, declared Heard guilty of defamation. Heard reportedly has to pay Depp $10M for compensatory damages and $5M for punitive damages. Depp was also ordered to pay the Aquaman actor $2M in her countersuit. Here's what happened.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean star had sued his former wife for $50M for defaming him in an op-ed piece for The Washington Post in 2018, where she portrayed herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." Although the article didn't name Depp, the actor said it defamed him as it suggested he was a domestic violence perpetrator. Heard then countersued Depp for $100M.
Heard later released a statement in which she said that she was "heartbroken" by the verdict. She expressed that she was "disappointed beyond words" and that "the mountain of evidence" was not enough to "stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband." She also wrote, "It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously."
— Amber Heard (@realamberheard) June 1, 2022
Meanwhile, Depp, who reportedly was in England for the past couple of days, was not present for the verdict. "The jury gave me my life back," he expressed in a statement. "From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome," he added. The 58-year-old concluded by saying that "the best is yet to come."
The verdict brought an end to the high-profile trial that was broadcasted live on television for many weeks. Both Depp and Heard brought enough evidence against each other and revealed multiple factors of their rather toxic marriage. During the trial, the ex-spouses often accused each other of violence. However, both the actors reportedly claimed that the trial had affected their careers adversely in Hollywood.
