A Virginia jury has discovered that actress Amber Heard defamed Hollywood star Johnny Depp when she wrote a 2018 ‘Washington Post’ op-ed alluding to her previous claims of home violence, reviews ‘Variety’.
The jury additionally discovered that Depp defamed Heard, via his lawyer, in the course of preventing again against her expenses.
It awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages, plus $5 million in punitive damages, which Judge Penney Azcarate decreased to $350,000 in accordance with the state’s statutory cap.
Depp has now shared a note on Instagram after the verdict and mentioned that the greatest is but to return and thanked folks for the outpouring of affection.Â
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Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages for her counterclaim.
The jury, 5 males and two girls, who’ve been deliberating on their verdict since this previous Friday, additionally discovered that Heard had acted with “actual malice”, that means that they had been satisfied she had made the statements understanding they had been false, in line with ‘Variety’.
Responding to the verdict from the United Kingdom, the place he has been attending concert events, Depp mentioned Heard’s false claims had “a seismic impact on my life and my career”.
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He mentioned: “And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”
Depp added that he was “overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world,” and that the verdict left him “at peace”.
Though the jury awarded damages to each side, the consequence is a clear win for Depp, who misplaced a comparable trial in the United Kingdom in 2020, notes ‘Variety’.
Depp introduced that lawsuit after ‘The Sun’ newspaper referred to as him a “wife beater”.
The decide had dominated that Heard’s allegations had been “substantially true”. The lingering query now, in line with ‘Variety’, is whether or not Depp can rehabilitate his movie profession, which has been moribund for the final 4 years.
In a assertion, Heard mentioned she was “disappointed” and “heartbroken” by the consequence.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” Heard mentioned.
“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 additionally identified that the verdict was “a setback” for girls.
“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.”
Raising the problem of freedom of speech, Heard mentioned Depp’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to miss this “key issue” and “ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK”.
She concluded by saying: “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.”
