Jonny Depp has won his defamation case against Amber Heard.
Depp sued Heard, his ex-wife, for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
After deliberating for 13 hours, the jury found that Heard defamed Depp in three separate statements in The Washington Post piece, and that Depp defamed Heard with one statement his attorney made.
Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate reduced the punitive damages to $350,000, which is the state's statutory cap or legal limit, making his total damages $10.4 million.
As for Heard’s countersuit, the jury awarded the actress $2 million in compensatory damages.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the Aquaman actress is planning to appeal the verdict.
Heard released a statement Wednesday (June 1st) afternoon calling the jury's decision a “setback” for other women and added, “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.”
Depp, on the other hand, took to Instagram to thank the jury for giving him his life back and wrote, “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. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
