Johnny Depp won against ex-wife Amber Heard in a highly- publicized defamation trial.
A Virginia jury ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his defamation case against hisex-wife Amber Heard in a highly- publicized six-week trial detailing the Hollywood couple’s past relationship.
The jury started deliberating on Friday and reached a verdict on Wednesday and the jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages from Heard while the panel awarded $2 million to Heard in compensatory damages.
The 58-year-old star sued Heard for $50 million and argued that she defamed him when she called herself “a public figure representing domestic abuse” in a tabloid paper. Heard then countersued Depp for $100 million.
Heard, stared blankly in the courtroom saying she was heartbroken in a Twitter post.
“I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It’s a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously,’’ she said in the statement.
Depp, with hopes that the case would help restore his reputation, wrote a statement on his Instagram saying that “the jury gave my life back.”
"From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome," the statement said. "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."
Camille Vasquez, Depp's attorney on Wednesday thanked the jury and said "it's time to turn the page and look to the future."
Having been one of Hollywood’s brightest stars, Depp said that the allegations made against him cost him “everything” from the new “Pirates” movie put on hold and Depp’s replacement in the “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise, a “Harry Potter” spinoff.
Tags: #Hollywood, #Depp, #Heard, #couple, #jurytrial