The defamation lawsuit between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp lasted roughly six weeks in Virginia, United States, in April-May 2022. Johnny was granted compensatory $10 million and punitive damages of $5 million. Amber, on the other hand, was to receive $2 million. However, Depp’s lawyer Benjamin Chew said that Amber may not have to pay the money after all. He added that for Johnny the trial was not about money.
Chew recently was on the Good Morning America show. Johnny’s lawyer Benjamin Chew was questioned by George Stephanopoulos if he might accept a deal in which Amber agrees not to appeal the issue in return for “him waiving monetary damages.” He said, “We obviously can’t disclose any attorney-client communications. But as Mr. Depp testified and as we both made clear in our respective closings, this was never about money for him. This was about restoring his reputation, and he’s done that.”
Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez discuss defamation trial
Earlier after the verdict, Amber had said she would appeal against the defamation trial verdict. Not much information is available about the appeal, but there’s a good probability that Heard will move forward with it. Elaine Bredehoft, her lawyer, has previously stated that she intends to do so.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp met for the first time on The Rum Diary in 2009 and began dating a few years later. They married in 2015. The couple decided to split in 2017. The former couple went to court over a piece Amber penned for ‘The Washington Post’ in 2018 about surviving domestic abuse sans using Johnny’s name. Johnny filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife for $50 million in damages after the publication of Amber’s essay. The trial started in April 2022 and ended on June 1st with a verdict in favor of Depp.