A jury found both sides guilty of defamation in the defamation trial between Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard. Heard will have to pay her ex-husband $15 million in damages while Depp will have to pay his ex-wife two million dollars, the jury ruled in their decision announced Wednesday at the trial in Fairfax, Virginia.
What the Depp vs. Heard trial was about
Heard had accused her ex-husband of domestic violence, while Depp accused her of repeatedly becoming violent. Dressed all in black, Heard followed the verdict in court, Depp did not show up. Numerous onlookers and fans, especially Depp, had gathered in front of the court, who broke out in cheers after the verdict and shouted “Johnny, Johnny”.
Depp: “The jury gave me my life back”
The verdict was delayed because the jury failed to enter what it deemed appropriate damages on the appropriate form. “This jury gave me my life back,” said Depp afterwards – and thanked the jury and also his legal team and his supporters. “From the beginning, the goal of moving this process forward was to get the truth out – no matter how it would turn out. Telling the truth was something I owed my children and all those who have always supported me. Now that I’ve done that, I feel an inner peace within me.”
Heard, on the other hand, was deeply disappointed. “The disappointment I feel today cannot be put into words,” the actress wrote via Twitter. The fact that the jury largely did not believe her despite a “mountain of evidence” breaks her heart. She also sees the verdict as a “step backwards” for other women in a similar situation. “I’m sad that I lost the case. But I’m even sadder that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly.”
Depp (58) and Heard (36) had previously made serious allegations against each other in the defamation process for six weeks – via cameras Livestream spread all over the world. In their closing arguments, the lawyers on both sides then again brought forward serious allegations of sexual abuse, physical violence, lies and drug excesses.
50 and 100 million damages demanded
The Pirates of the Caribbean star accused Heard of making false statements in a 2018 op-ed about domestic violence published by the Washington Post. This would have damaged his reputation. He had demanded 50 million dollars (a good 46 million euros) in damages for defamation. In her counterclaim, Heard insisted on $100 million. She claimed that Depp’s ex-lawyer Adam Waldman had damaged her reputation with a smear campaign.
In 2016, Heard divorced Depp
The bitter War of the Roses has been raging for years. In 2016, Heard filed for divorce after just 15 months of marriage. She accused the Hollywood star of domestic violence.
About two years ago, Depp suffered a defeat in London with a lawsuit against the tabloid “Sun”. It was about an article alleging that Depp physically abused Heard as a wife beater. After a trial with fierce allegations, the High Court ultimately dismissed the lawsuit.
You can read here what this spectacular process was about in detail: The whole world could follow the War of the Roses via live stream
Video: “Why does everyone feel like Team Johnny?”
Colleagues from the younger generation of the Kleine Zeitung also addressed the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (Small newspaper Next) – in a sequence of the video format “What’s up?”.