The judgment of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard: the actor won in all respects. The jury found the actress right in only one of the charges

The jury in a defamation lawsuit filed by actor Johnny Depp against his ex-wife and actress Amber Heard in Fairfax, USA, returned a unanimous verdict this Wednesday, after three days of deliberations from 8:00 pm in Lisbon.

Johnny Depp saw that the jury found him right on all counts: the actor was able to “clearly and convincingly” prove to seven people that Amber Heard’s statements in her Washington Post article in 2018, in which she called herself a “public figure representing domestic violence”, not to mention the name of the actor, were false and written with malicious intent. In other words, the jury found that she wanted to defame her ex-husband and hurt his career.

Instead of the $50 million demanded by Depp, the jury decided that the actress would have to pay her ex-husband $10 million in damages and five million in punitive damages (a figure that the judge reduced to $350,000, the damages limit) . measures in Virginia).

In a $100 million libel suit filed by Amber Heard, a jury found the actress right on only one of three charges: Adam Waldman, Depp’s lawyer, maliciously slandered her when he told the British tabloid Daily Mail in 2020 that she set a trap for actor when the police were called to his apartment in May 2016. He was awarded two million dollars in damages and zero dollars in punitive damages.

While this is not technically a domestic violence trial and the verdict can be challenged in a higher court, it is a huge victory for Depp, who lost the first London libel suit in 2020 against tabloid The Sun, who called him an “aggressor.” husband” when a judge ruled that some of the domestic violence allegations described in the article were “essentially true”.

reactions

Johnny Depp did not attend “due to professional commitments scheduled before the trial” and followed the UK verdict, but Amber Heard quickly left the room after the session ended and spoke of her disappointment in the following minutes on social media in an extensive written letter. statement.

“I cannot put into words the disappointment I feel today. I am devastated that the mountains of evidence were not enough to counter my ex-husband’s disproportionate power, influence and control,” Hurd begins in a statement.

“I am even more disappointed with what this verdict means for women. This is a step back. He sets the clock back to the time when, if a woman spoke up and spoke out, she could be publicly shamed and humiliated. the idea that violence against women should be taken seriously,” the actress continued.

“I believe that Johnny’s lawyers succeeded in getting the jury to downplay the free speech issue and ignore such compelling evidence that they won us over in the UK,” the statement said.

“I am sad that I lost this case, but even sadder that I lost the right that I thought I had as an American to speak freely and openly,” she concludes.

The actor also reacted to the verdict on social media.

“Six years ago, my life, the lives of my children, the lives of the people closest to me, the lives of people who supported me and believed in me for many, many years, changed forever. All this in opening and closing eyes. , the actor begins in a statement posted to his Instagram account.

“False, very serious and criminal charges were made against me through the media, which caused an endless stream of hateful content, although I was never accused of anything,” the actor continues, adding: “The accusations went around the world twice in nanoseconds and had a seismic impact on my life and career.”

“And six years later, the jury brought me back to life. I am truly grateful,” he continued.

“My decision to proceed with this case, knowing full well the magnitude of the legal hurdles I would face and the inevitable worldwide exposure of my life, was made only after much deliberation,” he said.

“From the beginning, the goal of moving forward in this case has been to uncover the truth, no matter the outcome. To tell the truth was what I owed to my children and to all who remained adamant in my support. I feel calm. that I finally achieved this, ”the actor reflected.

“I am overwhelmed and overwhelmed by the tremendous outpouring of love, support and kindness around the world. I hope that my struggle to discover the truth has helped others, men or women, who find themselves in my situation, and that those who support them never give up. I also hope that now the state will return to “innocence until proven guilty” in court and in the media,” he suggested.

“I want to acknowledge the noble work of the judge, jury, court officers, and sheriffs who sacrificed their time to get to this point, as well as my diligent and unwavering legal team, who have done an exceptional job in helping me share the truth. “, — wrote the actor.

The statement ends with “the best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun”, a Latin quote “veritas numquam perit” and the phrase “truth never dies”.

very public matter

The seven jurors – five men and two women – began deliberating last Friday, after six weeks of testimony in Fairfax court. Discussions resumed on Tuesday, as Monday was a public holiday in the US, and the decision was made on Wednesday.

The jury had to answer several questions on the questionnaire, decide on both complaints and determine the amount of possible damage.

Since April 11, jurors have heard dozens of hours of testimony, audio and video recordings revealing dark details of the couple’s life between 2011 and 2016.

Depp and Hurd claim that they have each lost between $40 million and $50 million since the column was published.

The two were widely exposed over several days during a televised trial that attracted hundreds of fans, mostly the actor.

The jury listened to audio and video recordings of the couple’s heated arguments, as well as photographs of injuries Heard said he suffered during their marriage.

Health experts testified for hours about a finger injury Depp sustained while filming Pirates of the Caribbean 5 in Australia in March 2015.

Depp claimed that the tip of his middle finger on his right hand was cut off when Heard threw a bottle of vodka at him. Hurd said he did not know how the injury occurred.

Both agreed that Depp even wrote messages on walls, lamps and mirrors with a bloodied finger.

Heard stated that Depp became a “physically and sexually abusive monster” when he overused alcohol and drugs, and that he resisted her repeated attempts to curb his use.

According to the actress, Depp promised her “worldwide humiliation” if she would allow him. Heard was the target of an extensive social media campaign under the slogan #JusticeForJohnnyDepp.

Depp said hearing his ex-wife’s “disgusting” and “extravagant” accusations of domestic violence was “cruel”.

“Of course, there are no perfect people, none of us are perfect, but I have never committed sexual harassment or physical violence in my life,” he said.

The lawsuit has been seen and discussed around the world and has made headlines in recent weeks. Also on social media, the case has become an obsession and has been pulled to the bone in Tik Tok videos, with Amber Heard being the main target of parodies.

“Affected” careers

Heard and Depp were married from 2015 to 2017. In May 2016, the actress secured a preventive measure against her then-husband, alleging domestic violence.

The actor filed a defamation suit in London against The Sun newspaper for calling him a “wife beater”, but lost the case in November 2020.

Both are seeking damages to their Hollywood careers.

Heard’s legal team introduced an entertainment industry expert who estimated that the actress had lost film and television contracts and promotions worth between $45 million and $50 million.

An industry expert hired by Depp’s lawyers said the actor has lost millions to the abuse allegations, including a $22.5 million payout for the sixth Pirates movie.