After a six-week trial featuring graphic testimony about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s deteriorating relationship.
The jury sided with Depp in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, awarding the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor more than $10 million and proving that Heard lied about Depp abusing her before and during their brief marriage.
The findings brought to a close a televised trial that Depp had believed would help rebuild his reputation, but which instead provided a window into a violent marriage. Here are the most important moments in the trial.
Johnny Depp Wins His Defamation Suit Against Ex-wife Amber Heard
Wednesday, Johnny Depp won more than $10 million in damages in a defamation claim against ex-wife Amber Heard, gaining a near-total triumph after a six-week trial involving graphic testimony about the stars’ deteriorating relationship.
A seven-person jury in Virginia also found in favor of Heard on one of Depp’s counterclaims. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor described the verdict as a vindication, but his ex-wife described it as “disappointing.”
The jury awarded Depp $15 million in punitive damages against Heard, which the court lowered to $10.35 million due to state limitations on punitive penalties. Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2 million in damages by the panel.
Depp, 58, had sued Heard for $50 million, claiming she defamed him when she referred to herself in a newspaper opinion piece as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard countersued for $100 million, alleging that Depp’s attorney slandered her by calling her allegations a “hoax.”
Depp denied hurting Heard, 36, or any other woman and claimed that she was the aggressor in their relationship. He told the jury that the “Aquaman” actress’s allegations had cost him “everything.”
The production of a new “Pirates” picture was put on hold, and Johnny Depp was replaced in the “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise, a “Harry Potter” spin-off. “The jury restored my life.
I am genuinely humbled “Depp, who observed the judgment from Britain, issued the following statement: “The best is yet to come, and a new chapter has begun,” he concluded, using the Latin phrase “Veritas numquam permit.”
Truth endures forever.” As the judgments were read, Heard, seated in the courtroom between two of her attorneys, looked down.
“Today’s disappointment is beyond description,” she stated in a statement. “I’m heartbroken that the pile of evidence was insufficient to combat my ex-enormous husband’s power, influence, and persuasion.” She continued, “I’m even more disappointed by what this judgment signifies for other women.”
It is an obstacle. In Britain less than two years ago, Depp faced a different fate when he sued the Sun newspaper for labeling him a “wife abuser.” A London High Court judge concluded that he had assaulted Heard on multiple occasions.
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The Jury Hears a Couple’s Fights
The couple met while filming “The Rum Diary” in 2011 and wed in February 2015. Their divorce was finalized around two years after their separation. The legal dispute centered on an opinion piece published by Heard in the Washington Post in December 2018.
Although Depp was not mentioned by name in the piece, his attorney told the jury that it was apparent that Heard was referring to him. The jury agreed with all of Depp’s defamation accusations, which included an article paragraph and title that stated: “I came out against sexual violence, incurring the wrath of our culture.
This must change.” The jury dismissed two of Heard’s three counterclaims. When an attorney representing Depp told a media source that Heard faked property damage to show to police after an alleged fight, they determined she was defamed.
The statement stated in part, “Amber and her companions spilled some wine and roughed up the establishment before getting their tales straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist.”
During six weeks of testimony, Heard’s attorneys contended that she had expressed the truth and that her statements were protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The jury listened to audio recordings of the couple’s arguments and viewed graphic photographs of Depp’s bleeding finger. In 2015, Heard allegedly cut the tip of his finger when he hurled a vodka bottle at him.
Heard denied hurting Depp’s finger and claimed Depp sexually attacked her with a liquor bottle on that same evening. She stated that she had just struck him to defend herself or her sister.
The testimony was widely live-streamed on social media, attracting big viewers interested in the couple’s tumultuous relationship. The US complaint was filed in Fairfax County, Virginia, where the Washington Post is printed, by Depp’s attorneys. The newspaper was not a party to the case.
Johnny Depp Scores a Significant Legal Victory Over Ex-wife Amber Heard
It appears that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard‘s legal dispute has taken a new turn! Recent victories by Depp against Heard have compelled the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to disclose whether Heard has fulfilled her promise to provide a $7 million divorce settlement to the organization.
According to Page Six, Depp’s attorney Benjamin Chew stated in a statement that the actor was “very pleased” with the ruling.
A judge in New York has allowed Depp’s partial petition, which aims to compel the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to produce documentation confirming whether or not Heard has donated the settlement money from their 2017 divorce.
Prior to this, Depp’s attorneys had petitioned the New York Supreme Court for the ACLU to reveal evidence that Heard had kept her commitment.
According to Mail Online, Judge Arthur Engoron has already approved 23 out of 24 demands in Depp’s “move to compel,” meaning the group has been compelled to submit documentation linked to Heard’s charity.
The judge denied Depp’s effort to compel the group to reveal documentation about Heard’s employment as an ACLU brand ambassador.
His attorneys also claimed that the Aquaman actress had lied about donating her whole divorce settlement to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union.
According to Page Six, Depp’s attorney, Andrew Caldecott, contended that Heard was building a “planned and manipulative falsehood” by including her vow to charity. Heard, according to Caldecott, “turned the scales against Mr. Depp from the start.”