Following an intense trial based on bitterly contested allegations of domestic abuse, a US jury on Wednesday found both Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard liable for defamation – but sided more strongly with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star.
The 58-year-old actor was awarded $15 million in damages by a Virginia jury after the jury determined that a 2018 article written by Heard about her experience with “sexual violence” was defamatory to Depp.
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Prior to the case, Heard described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” in an op-ed for The Washington Post, and while she did not name Depp in the piece, he sued her for implying he was an abuser, seeking $50 million in damages.
Heard, her eyes downcast the entire time, listened impassively as the verdict was read out in Fairfax court, near the US capital – and later declared herself “heartbroken” and “beyond words” disappointed by the outcome.
Meanwhile, Depp, who was watching the proceedings from the United Kingdom, wrote on Instagram that the jury “gave me my life back.”
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Heard, 36, who starred in “Aquaman,” countersued for $100 million, claiming she was defamed by statements made by Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, who told the Daily Mail her abuse claims were a “hoax.”
The jury agreed that Heard’s statements were defamatory and awarded her damages, but at a much lower amount, $2 million.
