One of his lawyers had also defamed her, according to the jury, who found that Ms. Heard defamed Mr. Depp when she wrote an op-ed in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Amber Heard defamed Johnny Depp in an op-ed she wrote for the Huffington Post in 2018, and on Wednesday a Virginia jury found that the actor had been wrongly accused of domestic violence.
However, the jury’s decision was split, with one of the three statements at the heart of Ms. Heard’s lawsuit, made by one of Mr. Depp’s lawyers at the time, is found to be defamatory by the jury.
However, a judge capped the total amount of punitive damages at $10.35 million because of legal limits, resulting in $15 million in compensatory damages. a jury awarded $2 million in damages to Ms. Heard on Tuesday.
There had been a six-week trial that had captivated the nation and millions of people watched it on television or streamed it online as the two major Hollywood stars made charges and countercharges of physical abuse against each other. In the #MeToo era, it was one of the most high-profile civil cases to go to trial.
Actor Johnny Depp vigorously denied that he physically and sexually assaulted Ms. Heard over an extended period of time and repeatedly punched her, head-butted, and dragged her by the hair.
It’s “insane” to hear the slew of sleazy accusations that have been leveled at me, Johnny Depp said during his testimony. When things have gotten out of hand, it’s sometimes necessary to cut yourself open and tell the truth, even if it’s painful.
According to Mr. Depp’s lawsuit, the Washington Post op-ed that Ms. Heard wrote about “institutions protecting men accused of abuse” was defamatory and slandered him.
Though Mr. Depp’s name did not appear at any point in the article, the American Civil Liberties Union claimed that the article was about their failed marriage, which began in 2015 and ended less than a year later.
A lawyer for Mr. Depp (58) told a British tabloid in 2020 that his client’s abuse allegations were a “hoax,” and Ms. Heard (36), the one who was defamed because of it, called it a “hoax,” during the course of her trial. She filed a lawsuit against Mr. Depp, claiming that the lawyer was acting as his agent when he made those statements. On Tuesday, however, the jury ruled that her ex-husband had not defamed her.
When it comes to Johnny Depp, it’s a mixed bag. The actor, who maintains he never hit Ms. Heard or any other woman, has won the case against The Sun’s publisher in the United Kingdom. A judge, Andrew Nicol, found that he had assaulted Ms. Heard, and the case ended with the judge’s finding that he was guilty of domestic violence.
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In a statement, Amber Heard said she was “beyond words” disappointed by Johnny Depp’s defamation victory against her.
That the mountain of evidence was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and influence of my ex-husband was heartbreaking, she said.
Actress Alafair Hall, the actress’ representative, has confirmed that Ms. Heard will appeal the decision.
Mr. Depp’s legal team convinced the jury to “ignore” evidence that led a British judge to conclude that he abused her in a 2020 libel case, said Heard, who received a partial victory in her lawsuit against Mr. Depp.
Her disappointment was compounded by the implications for other women, which she lamented. This is a setback.” Once again, we are transported back to the days of public humiliation for women who dared to speak up for themselves. Violence against women is no longer taken seriously because of this.
“Sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American—to speak freely and openly,” Ms. Heard said in a statement.
Outside the courthouse, Ms. Heard’s legal team refused to speak to the media.
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