After weeks of mud-slinging, the jury in the case of Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard is out. Depp wins the lawsuit.
For weeks the world sat on the edge of its seat to follow the case. Depp and Heard accused each other of systematic assault and defamation. After a six-week trial, the jury reached a verdict today. Depp is vindicated.
The actor had sued his ex for libel over an article she had written about her experiences with domestic violence. Although Depp was not mentioned by name, it would be obvious that it was about him. The jury today ruled that there is sufficient evidence that defamation has indeed taken place.
Depp was right on all counts by the jury. Heard, in turn, was right on a few points. At the finish line, this means Heard has to pay Depp $15 million and Depp $2 million to her. The jury determined that there was defamation when Depp previously called her allegations of abuse “a hoax”.
NEW CHAPTER: Johnny Depp says he’s ‘at peace’ after winning defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard. https://t.co/lBfWr9nLrW pic.twitter.com/KCwkbgkP5o
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 1, 2022
When the jury announced its verdict, Heard was present in the courtroom. Depp was not there, he would still be in England after a number of surprise concerts with rock guitarist Jeff Beck . The verdict was slightly delayed because the jury had not entered the amount of compensation on the form with its verdict.
For weeks, the world marveled at the lawsuit, largely via live streams and social media. Just to refresh what the case is actually about:
Movie stars Johnny Depp (58) and Amber Heard (36) got a relationship in 2012. Now they accuse each other of domestic violence. The film stars repeatedly accused each other of assault. For example, Depp would have been violent under the influence of drink and drugs. But according to him, Heard was just an aggressive bully who mistreated him. She is said to have smashed a bottle on his hand, cutting off the tip of his finger.