(Alexandria) The judge in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard libel trial formalized the jury’s decision on Friday with a written order for Mme Heard to pay Johnny Depp $10.35 million for damaging her reputation by portraying herself as a victim of domestic abuse in an op-ed she wrote.
Posted at 6:19 p.m.
Judge Penney Azcarate entered the judgment on the court record after a brief hearing at Fairfax County Circuit Court. She also ordered Mr. Depp to pay 2 million to Mr.me Heard, the amount awarded by the jury for its counterclaim that Amber Heard was defamed by one of Mr. Depp’s lawyers.
The order was a formality after the jury announced its verdict on 1er June, largely siding with Johnny Depp after a sensational trial in which the couple revealed intense details about their short marriage in a televised trial that was followed closely on social media.
Mr. Depp sued Mr.me Heard for a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in the washington post describing himself as “a public figure representing domestic violence”. The jury ruled in favor of Johnny Depp on all three of his claims regarding specific statements in the 2018 article.
The jury found the actor should be awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, but the judge reduced the amount of punitive damages to $350,000 under a state cap.
Amber Heard said she plans to appeal the verdict.
During Friday’s hearing, the judge said that if Mme Heard was appealing, she had to post bond for the full compensation amount of 10.35 million while the appeal was pending – a common practice. The judge’s order indicates that both amounts are subject to interest at 6% per annum.