A jury has found both Amber Heard and Johnny Depp liable for defamation at the end of a six week trial.
Depp sued Heard for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she wrote where she alluded that Depp abused her, although his name doesn’t appear in the article. Heard filed a $100 million countersuit against Depp, as I reported previously for the Deseret News.
According to CNN, the verdict stated that Heard defamed Depp in three different statements in the op-ed, while he defamed her through one statement made by his attorney.
The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, which Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate reduced to $350,000, totaling to $10.4 million.
Meanwhile, Heard was awarded $2 million in damages, as the jury found a statement made by Depp’s lawyer, which accused Heard of creating “a detailed hoax” for police, to be defamatory, according to the latest report from the Deseret News.
What did Amber Heard say about the verdict?
Heard said she was “heartbroken” and “disappointed,” in a statement shared on social media.
“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,” she wrote.
“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.
She wrote that she won a previous defamation case in the United Kingdom, where the court rejected Depp’s allegations. But this time around, Heard said her former partner’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. I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly.”
What did Johnny Depp say about the verdict?
Depp also took to social media to post what he thought about the verdict. He began by saying that his life, and the lives of his family, “forever changed” when Heard wrote the op-ed.
“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. And six years later, the jury gave me my life back,” said Depp.
“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.”
Depp said he appreciated the “outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world” and hoped that his pursuit of “the truth” inspires others.
“I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media,” he added.
He ended by acknowledging the work of the judge, jurors, court staff, law enforcement and his legal team, signing off with “Veritas numquam perit,” which translates to “Truth never perishes.”
What does the internet think?
As soon as the verdict became news, people took to Twitter to express their thoughts.
Actor Gina Carano tweeted in support of Depp, while comedian Amy Schumer alluded to being on Heard’s side via Instagram.
Other users noticed some points in the trial that they considered bizarre.
Many on social media continued taking sides.