FAIRFAX, Va. — Johnny Depp received his bombshell defamation lawsuit towards Amber Heard on Wednesday, with a Virginia jury awarding him greater than $10 million find that his ex-wife sullied his popularity and broken his profession together with her claims of home abuse.
The seven Fairfax jurors dominated in Depp’s favor on all three of his claims associated to a Washington Put up op-ed Heard wrote about changing into a “public determine representing home abuse” following the couple’s cut up.
The decision, coming after some 13 hours of deliberations, capped a six-week trial full of allegations of abuse on either side, sensational claims and gory particulars — together with a few battle that ended with Depp shedding a part of his finger and accusations Heard or her mates defecated within the couple’s mattress.
Because the panel’s determination was learn, Heard seemed somber and gazed down, carrying a black costume and a gold necklace.
“The frustration I really feel right this moment is past phrases,” she mentioned in an announcement. “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of proof nonetheless was not sufficient to face as much as the disproportionate energy, affect, and sway of my ex-husband.”
Nonetheless, in what may come as chilly consolation to the “Aquaman” star, the jury discovered that Heard was defamed by certainly one of Depp’s legal professionals, who accused her of plotting an elaborate hoax. She was awarded $2 million in damages as a part of her countersuit.
In the meantime, jurors awarded the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. However as a result of Virginia regulation caps punitive damages at $350,000, Depp may stand to obtain a complete $10.35 million if the damages aren’t decreased on enchantment.
Observe The Put up’s dwell protection of the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial
The actor, who was within the UK when the decision got here down, mentioned in an announcement: “The jury gave me my life again.”
“I hope that my quest to have the reality be advised can have helped others, males or girls, who've discovered themselves in my state of affairs, and that these supporting them by no means hand over,” he mentioned.
Depp, 58, had sued Heard, 36, for $50 million over her 2018 essay wherein she wrote about dealing with “our tradition’s wrath” for talking out towards a strong man — a warning that seemingly turned extra prescient with the jury’s determination.
The article by no means talked about him by identify, however his legal professionals argued that it defamed him nonetheless as a result of it was a transparent reference to Heard’s allegations of abuse on the time of their 2016 divorce.
Heard mentioned the decision will in the end damage different girls.
“It units again the clock to a time when a lady who spoke up and spoke out could possibly be publicly shamed and humiliated,” she mentioned. “It units again the concept that violence towards girls is to be taken critically.
“I’m unhappy I misplaced this case. However I'm sadder nonetheless that I appear to have misplaced a proper I assumed I had as an American — to talk freely and brazenly.”
In weighing Heard’s $100 million counterclaim towards Depp, the jury thought of three statements by the actor’s lawyer Adam Waldman, who known as her allegations a hoax.
They discovered that Waldman defamed her when he claimed that Heard and her buddies “spilled just a little wine and roughed the place up, bought their tales straight” when the police responded to a home disturbance name on the couple’s condo in 2016.
Heard filed for a short lived restraining order towards the actor following that Could 2016 incident, after lower than two years of marriage, as she petitioned a Los Angeles court docket for a divorce.
Depp then sued The Solar within the UK two years later over an article that known as him a “spouse beater,” however misplaced that case in 2020 after the court docket discovered the declare to be “considerably true.”
Over the course of the Virginia trial, the actor’s legal professionals went to lengths to show that Depp — not Heard — was the sufferer of home abuse.
Depp’s group additionally known as a slew of witnesses to debate the reputational injury he suffered on account of Heard’s essay, together with one who mentioned the actor was “canceled” and now not fascinating to family-friendly firms like Disney.
Early in his testimony, Depp had advised the jury he introduced the lawsuit towards the actress for defamation to “clear my identify.”
“My purpose is the reality,” he mentioned on April 19. “Someday you’re Cinderella after which in zero level six seconds you’re Quasimodo. I didn’t deserve that and neither did my youngsters.”
Heard, in the meantime, recounted harrowing moments wherein the widely-beloved star allegedly attacked her, together with as soon as sexually assaulting her with a liquor bottle.
Her group produced scores of pictures of the actress’ bruises and accidents from alleged fights with Depp.
However he repeatedly denied the accusations and his group claimed the bruises have been faked, painted on and digitally manipulated.
“By no means did I personally attain the purpose of hanging Ms. Heard in any means nor have I ever struck any girl in my life,” he insisted.
The trial was chock stuffed with movie star name-drops — with an early witness checklist together with Tesla billionaire Elon Musk and actor James Franco. Neither man wound up testifying.
Notably, the jury Heard from two of Depp’s well-known exes, Ellen Barkin and Kate Moss.
Barkin was known as by Heard’s group and testified that Depp was a “jealous” man who drank on a regular basis and as soon as hurled a wine bottle in her route.
Moss, in the meantime, testified on Depp’s behalf by way of video from England, telling the jury: “He by no means pushed me, kicked me, or threw me down any stairs.”
Nonetheless, the trial highlighted Depp’s darkish aspect, significantly in textual content messages he despatched about Heard.
“Hopefully that c—t’s rotting corpse is decomposing within the f–ing trunk of a honda civic,” he wrote in 2016.
In a single foreboding textual content, Depp mentioned Heard was “begging for whole international humiliation,” including, “She’s gonna get it.”
Every day of the trial, hoards of his followers packed the courtroom gallery, and the seats turned so in demand folks lined up at 1 a.m. to get an opportunity to see Depp within the flesh.
Devotees flew from world wide, telling The Put up they have been spending tens of hundreds of dollars to help the person they believed to be harmless.
On the stand, Heard detailed vicious harassment by Depp’s followers, saying folks have been threatening to kill her and put her child daughter “within the microwave.”
“Johnny … promised me that if I ever left him, he’d make me consider him each single day that I dwell,” she mentioned whereas wanting on the jury.
“Now in entrance of cameras on this room,” she mentioned, “each single day I've to relive the trauma.”
A supply near Heard mentioned she deliberate to enchantment the choice, although her attorneys haven't made any public statements to that impact.
What’s subsequent for Depp is unclear, however the verdict is broadly seen as vindication for him, probably paving a means for a return to the large display screen.
“From the very starting, the purpose of bringing this case was to disclose the reality, whatever the end result,” Depp mentioned in his assertion. “Talking the reality was one thing that I owed to my youngsters and to all those that have remained steadfast of their help of me. I really feel at peace figuring out I've lastly completed that.”
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