Johnny Depp has won the defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Gatekeepers News reports that popular actor, Johnny Depp has won his multimillion-dollar US lawsuit against former wife Amber Heard after a Virginia jury ruled a 2018 article published in The Washington Post was defamatory.
He was awarded $15m by the court – comprising $10m compensatory damages and a further $5m in punitive damages.
Amber Heard was awarded $2m in her counter-suit against Depp.
Depp said he was “truly humbled” by the jury’s verdict, saying the allegations had had a “seismic impact” on his life and career.
“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome”, he said.
“Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me.
“I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
Heard, who appeared downcast in court as the verdict was read out, said she was “heartbroken” at the conclusion.
She claimed it “sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated”.
She added: “I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly.”
Depp had sued Heard for $50m (£38.2m) over a first-person article published in The Washington Post in December 2018, in which she referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse”.
Heard’s column did not mention Depp by name, but he argued it was an example of “defamation by implication” because parts of the column referred to allegations of abuse she made against him following their break-up in 2016.
Heard had issued a counterclaim for $100m (£76.4m) over statements calling her allegations a “hoax” made by her ex-husband’s attorney which were published in Mail Online stories in 2020.
US litigation lawyer Ryan Baker told Sky News that he was not surprised that Depp won overall as his lawyers did a “tremendous job” at undermining Heard’s credibility “time and time again”.
He also said he is not surprised that the jury found for Depp and Heard to some extent, because there were compelling stories on both sides.
However, Mr Baker said Depp has “exonerated himself” overall as the case centred on the Heard article in the Washington Post, which was found to be defamatory and malicious.
He added that it’s “hard to imagine” that none of jury weren’t influenced to some extent by the massive public support for Depp compared with Heard – as well as the celebrity kudos the actor has.
Following the verdict, Depp’s lawyers gave a brief statement outside the court in Fairfax, Virginia.
They said Heard’s claims were clearly “defamatory and not supported by any evidence” and that they were “so grateful to the jury for their careful deliberations”.
They added that they were “truly honoured” to work with Depp on the case and that it was “now time to turn the page and look to the future”.
At the end of the six-week trial in Fairfax, Virginia, the actor’s legal team asked the jury “to give Mr Depp his life back”, saying the case was not about money but reputation, and “freeing him from the prison in which he has lived for the last six years”.
In his own closing argument, Heard’s lawyer Ben Rottenborn said the lawsuit was not about Depp’s reputation but was part of an ongoing smear campaign launched by the actor after Heard filed for divorce.
