U.S. News
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard respond to trial verdict
- The high-profile defamation suit between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard ended with a huge win for Depp.
- Depp was awarded $15 million for damages while Heard was awarded $2 million in her countersuit.
- Depp and his legal team celebrated the victory as vindication and the start of a new chapter, while Heard called it a “setback” for women.
The high-profile defamation suit between Johnny Depp, 58, and Amber Heard, 36, has finally ended on Wednesday.
Depp sued Heard, his ex-wife, for defamation after his reputation and career were impacted by her 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard, meanwhile, filed a countersuit for defamation over statements made by Depp’s attorney about her abuse claims.
Depp sought $50 million in damages while Heard sought $100 million.
The jurors awarded Depp with $15 million — $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The state of Virginia caps punitive damages at $350,000, however, so the judge reduced the punitive damages award to that amount. Heard received $2 million in compensatory damages and none for punitive damages.
Depp and his legal team celebrated the victory as vindication and the turning of a new page, while Heard called it a “setback” for women.
Heard’s statement read, “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.”
Heard said that she feels “more disappointed” about the verdict’s impact on other women, claiming, “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, “I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly.”
Meanwhile, Depp celebrated his court victory as the start of a “new chapter” in his life.
Depp’s statement started by sharing how his life and the lives of those who “supported and believed” in him “were forever changed” six years ago after the allegations against him.
Depp wrote how the “false, very serious and criminal allegations… triggered an endless barrage of hateful content.” The allegations quickly circulated and “had a seismic impact on my life and my career,” he added.
He then expressed gratitude for his victory, stating, “And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”
He said that his goal had always been “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,” he continued. “I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
“Truth never perishes,” he concluded.
Source: The Hill
