The verdict is in! After weeks of battling it out in court, a jury found both Amber Heard and Johnny Depp guilty of defamation.
Depp was seeking $50 million when he slapped Heard with a defamation lawsuit over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post. In the piece, Heard referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse,” following her split from the star-studded actor.
Johnny and his legal team argued that while he was not named in Amber’s op-ed piece, he allegedly lost lucrative business deals and acting roles, including a long standing deal with Disney. Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, standing by her abuse allegations.
After hearing over 100 hours of testimony in the case, jurors awarded Johnny Depp $15 million in damages–$10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million on punitive damages. The judge ultimately reduced Depp’s awarded punitive damages to $350,000 in accordance with the damage cap in the state of Virginia. Amber Heard was also awarded $2 million in compensatory damages.
Recordings of Johnny and Amber’s explosive fights were presented in court as evidence, and while both parties were seemingly responsible in the verbal altercations, Amber explicitly admitted to assaulting Johnny during one of their exchanges.
Both Amber and Johnny released statements following the verdict. As suspected, Amber expressed that she is “disappointed in the verdict” and stands by the allegations that she was a victim of abuse. Depp expressed his satisfaction with the verdict and said he is “at peace.”
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Johnny Depp and Amber Heard got married in 2015 and called in quits on their relationship in 2017.
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