On Wednesday, June 1, a seven-person jury (five men and two women) returned a verdict in Johnny Depp’s libel lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard. After several days of deliberation, the American actress was found guilty of defamation with malicious intent against the 58-year-old star.
Jury awarded damages to Amber Heard totaling $15 million ($10 million in compensatory damages plus an additional $5 million in punitive costs, editor’s note) after her libel conviction against Johnny Depp . However, there was a partial victory for Amber, as the jury awarded her $2 million after finding that Johnny Depp defamed her through his lawyer. The announcement was partially delayed after it was discovered that the jury had failed to specify the amount of damages.
If Amber was present, her opponent Johnny was not there, because he was performing in the UK for a rock concert. The high-profile trial, which took place over approximately six weeks in Fairfax County, Va., was broadcast nationwide and grabbed headlines.
As a reminder, the interpreter of Jack Sparrow in the saga Pirates of the Caribbean sued the 36-year-old for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for the washington post in which she describes herself as a “public figure representing domestic violence”. Although he wasn’t named in the article, Lily-Rose Depp’s father says it cost him some very lucrative roles. For her part, the beautiful blonde has counterattacked her ex-husband for defamation following the statements of Depp’s lawyer, claiming 100 million dollars.
See also: Amber Heard: Her 15 spellbinding appearances!
Adam Javal-Fauconnier