The verdict of an ultra-media trial. After some 13 hours of deliberations, thehe seven jurors of the American court of Fairfax on Wednesday (June 1st) found Amber Heard guilty of defamation of Johnny Depp. This last was also found guilty of defamation, through his lawyer, of his ex-wife.
Amber Heard was ordered by the jury to pay $15 million in damages, including $5 million in “punitive damages”. But the latter being capped at 350,000 dollars in the state of Virginia where the trial took place, she will ultimately have to pay only 10,350,000 dollars, said the judge. For his part, Johnny Depp will have to pay two million in damages to the actress.
The star of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga sued his ex-wife for a column published by the washington post in 2018, in which she said she was “a public figure representing domestic violence”. Although he was not named, Johnny Depp felt that this platform had destroyed his career and his reputation. He demanded $50 million in compensation. The jurors found that Amber Heard had acted “with malicious intent”.
Amber Heard, who appeared in particular in the films Justice League and Aquaman, had counter-attacked and asked for double damages. The 36-year-old actress believed that three statements from an ex-lawyer of Johnny Depp on a daily basis DailyMail in 2020 were in turn defamatory. The jury only answered in the affirmative for one of them, and awarded two million dollars in compensation to the actress.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words”reacted Amber Heard in a press release published on social networks after the announcement of the verdict. “I am heartbroken that the mountain of evidence was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband”she wrote.
— Amber Heard (@realamberheard) June 1, 2022
Johnny Depp, for his part, felt that the jury had “brought back to life”. “After six years, the jury brought me back to life. I am truly touched”said the 58-year-old man, absent during the delivery of the verdict, in a publication on Instagram.