Johnny Depp won his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.
The jury came to a unanimous verdict Wednesday after a three-day deliberation in which they debated whether the “Aquaman” actress defamed Depp in her 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post in which she referred to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse.
Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
Meanwhile, Heard had a minor victory herself in her countersuit against Depp with the jury awarding her $2 million for compensatory damages, but $0 in punitive damages.
However, we’re told there is a chance the damages may be challenged in coming months.
Heard, 36, was present in the courtroom for the verdict hearing, while Depp, 58, listened in from the UK due to “prior commitments,” according to his reps.
Heard told Page Six via her rep of the jury’s decision, “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. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”
She added, “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.”
Heard said she is “sad” to have lost this case, but concluded, “I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly.”
Meanwhile, Depp said in a statement that the jury “gave me my life back.”
“Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye,” he began.
“False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star said he is “truly humbled” by the verdict.
“My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought,” he noted.
“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me.”
Depp said he feelsI “at peace” and has been “overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world.”
“I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up,” he also said. “I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media.
Depp concluded with a quote in Latin, “Veritas numquam perit,” that translates to, “Truth never perishes.”
The award-winning actor was seeking $50 million in the suit in which he claimed that, despite not naming him in the Washington Post op-ed, Heard’s piece damaged his reputation and career because the item referred to the period of time two years earlier when she filed for divorce and a restraining order.
Depp has vehemently denied all claims of abuse since Heard first made her accusations. Heard subsequently countersued Depp for $100 million claiming he used trolls and fake social media accounts in a “smear campaign” to ruin her life.
Both Heard and Depp took the stand to testify to their experiences in their volatile marriage, with Heard claiming the “Edward Scissorhands” star had beaten and threatened to kill her when he abused drugs and alcohol. She also accused Depp of succumbing to fits of jealousy, particularly over her interactions with her former co-star James Franco, and calling her a “slut.”
In her closing statement, Depp’s attorney called Heard the “abuser” in the relationship and claimed she made up the abuse allegations because she’s a “deeply troubled person” desperate for attention.
Heard’s lawyers closed out next, with Ben Rottenborn telling the jury Friday that “If Amber was abused by Mr. Depp even one time, then she wins.
Reporting from Page Six.
