Jury has reached a verdict on the $ 50 million defamation trial of Hollywood actor Johnny Depp against ex-wife Amber Heard.
They found Johnny Depp in favor of all three statements and awarded him $ 15 million in damages in total.
This was reduced to just over $ 10 million due to the rules of Virginia, where the court is headquartered.
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The jury, however, also spoke in favor of Heard in a statement: that Depp’s lawyer defamed her when she described her allegations of abuse as a hoax.
He was awarded $ 2 million in damages and $ 0 in punitive fees.
“It simply came to our notice then [Depp’s team]said Attorney General Emily D Baker in response to the bomb verdict.
“These punitive damages show that the jury was not satisfied with Amber Heard.”
In this video screenshot, Amber Heard reacts, with her lawyer Elaine Bredehoft on her right, as the verdict is read in the courtroom. Credit: PM / AP
The seven jurors returned to court on Wednesday at 3pm local time to hand down their verdict, but were immediately sent back by the judge who found that they had not filled in the award form.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Highlights of Johnny Depp’s Lawyer’s Final Arguments
It soon became clear, however, that a verdict had been handed down in favor of one party or another.
Heard looked down as the verdict was read, while the cries of Johnny Depp’s supporters were heard outside the courtroom.
Both Heard and Depp issued statements just minutes after the case was concluded.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” Heard wrote.
“It hurts me that the mountain of evidence was still not enough to resist my husband’s disproportionate power, influence, and dominance.”
“I am even more disappointed with what this verdict means to other women. It is a setback.
“He raised his watch at a time when a woman who spoke and spoke could be embarrassed and publicly humiliated.
“It returns the idea that violence against women should be taken seriously.”
Heard went on to say that he thought Depp’s lawyers had “gotten the jury to ignore the key issue of free speech and ignore such conclusive evidence” in Depp’s UK lawsuit against the Sun. which he lost.
“I’m sorry I lost this case,” Heard said. “But I’m even sadder because he seems to have lost a right he thought he had as an American: to speak freely and openly.”
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Depp, meanwhile, took to Instagram to share a statement saying he was “truly humiliated” by the verdict.
“Six years ago, my life, the lives of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also the lives of people who for many, many years have supported me and believed in me, changed for the better. always. All in the blink of an eye.
“I was accused of making false, very serious and criminal accusations through the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hate content, even though no charges were ever brought against me. I had already traveled the world twice in a nanosecond and had a seismic impact on my life and career, “Depp wrote.
“And six years later, the jury brought me back to life.”
He continued: “From the beginning, the goal of this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome.
“It simply came to our notice then.
“I feel at peace knowing that I have finally made it.”
“I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness around the world.
“I hope that 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.
“I also hope that the position will be innocent again until proven guilty, both in court and in the media.”
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Out of court, Depp’s legal team said they were “truly honored” to have helped him get justice.
“Today’s verdict is what we said from the beginning, that the allegations against Johnny Depp are defamatory and not supported by any evidence,” said Depp’s lawyer, Camille Vasquez.
“We are grateful, very grateful, to the jury for their careful consideration, to the judge and the court staff who have devoted an enormous amount of time and resources to this case.”
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard clashed head-on in the high-profile defamation case. Credit: AP
The verdict comes after six weeks of testimony, including sometimes disturbing details about the former couple’s volatile relationship.
The trial took place in a court in Fairfax, Virginia, and millions of people around the world saw it online, generating sensational newspaper headlines and sometimes heated discussions on social media.
Depp’s legal team argued that Heard’s 2018 opinion piece in The Washington Post, which describes her as a survivor of domestic violence, was defamatory, although Depp was not specifically named in the Washington Post. ‘article.
Heard countered, alleging that Depp and his lawyers had orchestrated a “smear campaign” against her before the trial.
The lawsuit was filed despite Depp losing a case in 2020 against British tabloid The Sun in which he was referred to as a “women’s hitter”.
The world watches and takes sides
A case as prominent as this was to generate interest, not only in the media, but also in the court of public opinion.
During the six-week trial period, social media platforms were illuminated with a detailed analysis of the testimony of both professionals and amateurs.
It quickly became apparent that, at least among fans, the wave of support for #TeamJohnny was much greater than for #TeamAmber.
Within days, the hashtags #JusticeForJohnnyDepp and #IStandWithJohnnyDepp appeared on Twitter and Instagram, while a smaller but vocal support group got behind Heard.
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Exactly why the balance in favor of Depp is becoming the subject of much debate.
On and off the track, Depp fans shouted for support, while Heard was photographed rolling his eyes at the attention given to the Pirates of the Caribbean star.
Shocking witnesses
While some details of Depp and Heard’s volatile relationship were already in the public domain, other claims were made in U.S. court for the first time, and were profoundly shocking.
Heard claimed Depp had penetrated him with a bottle of liquor during an argument; Depp claimed his fingertip was cut from the bottle when Heard threw it at him.
The notorious claim that Heard had defecated in Depp’s bed to turn against him after a fight broke out, while photographs shown in court showed messages allegedly written by Depp in a drug state.
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Other images presented showed a seemingly fainted Depp with a puddle of ice cream melting into her skirt and images of Heard’s flushed face after Depp allegedly hit her.
Video footage showed Depp closing the closet doors as he drank from a bottle of alcohol.
And at a controversial point in the testimony, Heard alleged that Depp had pushed his ex-girlfriend, model Kate Moss, down a flight of stairs during a Caribbean vacation.
Moss was then called as a witness, denying that Depp had ever pushed him down the stairs.
Instead, he stated that he had slipped and fell, and Depp had rushed to pick her up and immediately sought medical treatment.
Romantic rumors
Despite the seriousness of the lawsuits filed in court, viral memes frequently came up after key moments of the testimony, and strange rumors began to circulate.
One of the strangest was that Depp and his gun lawyer, Camille Vazquez, might be out.
The rumor began after images emerged of the lawyer and her client embracing each other in court.
Actor Johnny Depp hugs lawyer Camille Vasquez during the trial. Credit: Brendan Smialowski / AP
Faced outside the court by paparazzi photographers, a perplexed Vásquez refused to comment on the speculation, but his relationship with Depp is said to be strictly professional.
Another romantic rumor arose when Moss testified, with Depp’s eagle-eyed fans watching her reaction when the supermodel appeared through a video.
Johnny Depp heard his ex-girlfriend, model Kate Moss, testify via a video link. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein / AP
“The smile on her face when she saw her on screen … Gold! I literally cried,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“Can we talk about how Johnny’s face lights up after seeing it on screen?” another wrote.
Messages hidden in clothes
Another fascinating online rumor that surfaced during the first week of the trial was that Heard was copying Depp’s court suits in an attempt to play “mental games.”
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“I’ve been watching Johnny Depp’s trial and I’ve noticed that Amber Heard is reflecting on her through costumes,” a Twitter user claimed.
“When Johnny wore a gray suit … the next day he wore the same.
“Then she wore a Gucci set and then she wore it the next day.
“This is creepy.”
Some speculated that Amber Heard was “copying” the costumes Johnny Depp had worn the day before. Credit: Getty