FAIRFAX, Virginia (AP) – A jury on Wednesday sided with Johnny Depp in his defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard, awarded the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor more than $ 10 million and went to vindicate her accusations that Heard lied about Depp abusing her. before and during their brief marriage.
But in a split decision, the jury also found that Heard was defamed by Depp’s lawyers, who accused her of creating a detailed scam that included mistreating the couple’s apartment to make it look worse to police. . The jury awarded him $ 2 million.
The verdicts end a televised trial that Depp hoped would help restore his reputation, although it turned out to be a spectacle that offered a window into a vicious marriage.
Heard, who was stoic in the courtroom when the verdict was read, said his heart was broken.
“I am even more disappointed with what this verdict means to other women. It is a setback. It sets the clock back to a time when a woman who spoke and spoke could be publicly humiliated. It revokes the idea that violence against women is he has to take it seriously, “he said in a statement on his Twitter account.
Depp, who was not in court on Wednesday, said “the jury brought me back to life. I’m really humble.”
“I hope my search for the truth has helped others, men and women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those who support them will never give up,” she said in a statement on Instagram.
Depp sued Heard over defamation at Fairfax County Circuit Court for a December 2018 opinion piece he wrote in The Washington Post describing himself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” His lawyers said he was defamed for the article even though he never mentioned his name.
The jury voted in favor of Depp in the three statements on specific statements of the 2018 piece.
Throughout the procedure, the fans who were overwhelmingly next to Depp lined up overnight for the coveted seats in the room. Spectators who could not enter gathered in the street to cheer on Depp and make fun of Heard every time they showed up outside.
A crowd of about 200 people applauded as Depp’s lawyers came out after the verdict. “Johnny as president!” a man shouted repeatedly.
Greg McCandless, 51, a retired private detective from Reston, Virginia, was in front of the court in a pirate hat and red scarf, a look at Depp’s famous role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the series. ” Pirates of the Caribbean. “
“I think there was slander, and I think it hurt his career,” McCandless said. “I think the jury heard the evidence and the verdict was fair.”
In assessing Heard’s counterclaims, the jury considered three statements from a Depp attorney who described his allegations as a hoax. They found out that she was defamed by one of them, in which the lawyer claimed that she and her friends “spilled some wine and ruined the place, got their stories right,” and called the police.
Sydni Porter, 30, drove an hour from her home in Maryland to show her support for Heard. He said the verdict was disappointing, but not surprising, and sent a message to women that “as much proof as you have (of abuse), it will never be enough.”
The jury found that Depp should receive $ 10 million in compensatory damages and $ 5 million in punitive damages, but the judge said state law limits punitive damages to $ 350,000, meaning Depp received $ 10 million. , $ 35 million.
While the case was ostensibly about defamation, most of the testimony focused on whether Heard had been physically and sexually abused, as she claimed. Heard listed more than a dozen alleged assaults, including a fight in Australia, where Depp was filming a sequel to “Pirates of the Caribbean,” in which Depp lost the tip of his middle finger and Heard said he was sexually assaulted. with a bottle of liquor.
Depp said she never beat Heard and that she was the aggressor, although Heartd’s lawyers highlighted old text messages that Depp sent to apologize to Heard for his behavior, as well as profane texts that he sent a friend in which Depp said he wanted to kill Heard and desecrate his body.
In a way, the trial was a repeat of a lawsuit filed by Depp in the UK against a British tabloid after he was described as a “female hitter”. The judge in that case ruled in favor of the newspaper after finding that Heard was telling the truth in his descriptions of abuse.
In the case of Virginia, Depp had to prove not only that he never assaulted Heard, but that Heard’s article – which focused primarily on public policies related to domestic violence – defamed him. He also had to prove that Heard wrote the article with real malice.
And to claim damages, he had to prove that his article caused damage to his reputation as opposed to any number of articles before and after Heard’s article detailing the allegations against him.
The case captivated millions through its hammer-to-hammer television coverage, including passionate followers on social media who dissected everything from the actors ’gestures to the possible symbolism of what they were wearing. Both performers come out of the trial with a reputation for pinching and with unclear prospects for their careers.
Eric Rose, an expert in crisis management and communications in Los Angeles, called the trial a “classic murder-suicide.”
“From a reputation management perspective, there can be no winners,” he said. “They’ve bled each other. Now it’s harder for studios to hire either actor because you’re potentially alienating a large segment of your audience who might not like the fact that you’ve hired Johnny or Amber for a specific project because feelings are so strong now. “
Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee for Best Actor, had been a profitable star until years ago. His turn as Sparrow helped turn the “Pirates of the Caribbean” into a global franchise, but he has lost that role. He was also replaced in the third film based on “Fantastic Beasts”, “Dumbledore’s Secrets”.
Despite testimony at trial that he could be violent, abusive and out of control, Depp received a standing ovation Tuesday night in London after performing for about 40 minutes with Jeff Beck at the Royal Albert Hall.
Heard’s acting career has been more modest, and her only two upcoming roles are in a small film and the upcoming sequel “Aquaman” to be released next year.
Depp’s lawyers fought to keep the case in Virginia, in part because state law provided some legal advantages compared to California, where they both reside. A judge ruled that Virginia was an acceptable forum for the case because the Washington Post’s printers and online servers are in the county.