After grueling weeks of testimonies and courtroom drama, the infamous Johnny Depp – Amber Heard saga has come to a conclusion. The jury at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia has unanimously announced the verdict in the favor of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor. While most fans expected Depp to win the defamation trial, the verdict does come with several twists and turns.
The highly-publicized defamation trial became the talk of the Tinseltown as both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard counter-sued each other for libel. Both the actors who met on the sets of The Rum Diary back in 2011 tied the knot four years later. However, the holy union soon turned sour as Heard first accused Depp of physical and sexual harassment. But soon after, the 58-year-old Depp also accused his former partner of physical violence and adultery.
With Amber Heard filing for divorce just a year after her marriage to Depp, the prolific actor lost the libel case against The Sun which had termed Depp as wife-beater. Moreover, Heard’s explosive op-ed for The Washington Post made the headlines as the Aquaman actress detailed her experience with physical, mental, and sexual abuse. Though Heard never explicitly mentioned her former partner’s name in the article, Johnny Depp and his team have argued that it massively hampered his reputation and career. As a result, the actor filed a $50M defamation case against Ms. Heard, only to face a counter defamation case of $100M for calling his former partner a liar.
Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard Defamation Case Verdict and Result
After weeks of speculation and high-octane drama, the jury of the Fairfax County Circuit reached the verdict where Johnny Depp won unanimously. While the actor wasn’t physically present at the court, which attracted some criticism from Heard’s legal team, the verdict surely left the fans of Johnny Depp ecstatic. As the jury took its time to arrive at the conclusion, Amber Heard was finally found guilty of defaming her ex-husband Johnny Depp.
With Johnny Depp’s win, the court has now ordered Amber Heard to pay $15M in damages; $10M in compensatory damages, and $5M in punitive damages. The compensatory damages include the compensation for libel and the punitive damages cover the penalty drawn for libel. However, the jury has also awarded $2M to Amber Heard for compensatory damages.
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The six-week-long trial finally has come to a conclusion after some high-profile witnesses including the likes of Kate Moss and DC President Walter Hamada. As Johnny Depp had also accused Heard of physical abuse, his case was championed by the fire-brand lawyer Camille Vasquez, who is credited for Depp’s historic win. After the verdict was announced, Johnny Depp has taken to Instagram to announce that he is ‘truly humbled‘ and that the result has ‘gave me my life back‘. As the actor was dropped by both Disney and Warner Bros. due to the ongoing trial with only Dior sticking with Depp during his time of crisis, the verdict will surely put him back at the top, right where he belongs.
