Johnny Depp has won his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard, whom he sued over claims of domestic abuse. On Wednesday, a seven-member jury found that Amber Heard defamed Depp in a 2018 Washington Post article in which she wrote about being “a victim of domestic abuse. Depp was awarded $10 million, plus punitive damages of $5 million. Heard won one of three claims in the countersuit against Depp, her ex-husband. She was awarded $2 million in damages and nothing in punitive damages.
‘False’ statement against Depp
The jury has also found that Amber Heard’s statements about her marriage were “false” and conveyed “a defamatory implication” to people other than Depp. They also noted that Heard acted with “actual malice”,
The jury has ruled that two of Heard’s defamation claims against Johnny Depp were not fully proven.
Amber Heard’s statement
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.
I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.
I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.
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 was missing from the courtroom today. On Tuesday, Depp made a surprise visit to London’s Royal Albert Hall to play at a concert with his friend and musician Jeff Beck.
Depp and Heard had been battling it out in court for more than seven weeks.