FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A jury on Wednesday ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, vindicating his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage. The jury also found in favor of Heard, who said she was defamed by Depp’s lawyer when he called her abuse allegations a hoax. Jury members found Depp should be awarded $15 million in damages, while Heard should receive $2 million. The verdicts bring an end to a televised trial that Depp had hoped would help restore his reputation, though it turned into a spectacle of a vicious marriage. Fans — overwhelmingly on Depp’s side — lined up overnight to grab a seat in the courtroom. Spectators who couldn’t get in lined up on the street to cheer Depp and jeer Heard whenever either appeared outside. Depp sued Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” His lawyers said he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name. Watch live coverage in the player below. Depp, who is in London, issued a statement after the verdict saying in part, “… the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.” Heard's team issued a statement after the verdicts were read, saying in part:
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A jury on Wednesday said it has reached a verdict in Johnny Depp’s libel lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, who testified that Depp physically and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. The jury also has reached a verdict regarding a $100 million counterclaim Heard filed against Depp. Heard said she was defamed when Depp’s lawyer called her abuse allegations a hoax. The verdicts were expected to be read inside the Virginia court at 3 p.m. Wednesday, but the judge sent the jury back because it had not completely filled out the verdict form. The seven-person civil jury had to come to a unanimous decision to reach each verdict. They deliberated for about 12 hours over three days.  Depp is suing his ex-wife for $50 million, accusing her of libeling him with a 2018 op-ed she wrote describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard filed a $100 million counterclaim against the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star after his lawyer called her allegations a hoax. Each accuses the other of destroying their career. Be the first to know when news breaks in Coachella Valley. Download the News Channel 3 app here.Testimony during the six-week trial has included lurid details of their short and volatile marriage. Heard testified that Depp physically or sexually assaulted her more than a dozen times. Depp said he never struck Heard, that she concocted the abuse allegations, and that she was the one who physically attacked him, multiple times. MORE: After court, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s careers face another trial Jurors must decide both claims based on whether or not the statements were made with “actual malice,” meaning they knew what they were saying was false, or were acting with a reckless disregard for the truth.
Johnny Depp filed a notice of appeal Friday, seeking to overturn the single count of defamation that his ex-wife Amber Heard won at their bombshell trial last month, court records show. The 59-year-old “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor is hoping that the appeal will nullify the $2 million award the jury handed Heard over her claims that Depp’s lawyer made false and damaging comments about her. Depp’s new filing comes just one day after his ex had filed her own appeal of the $10.35 million verdict Depp was awarded over claims he was defamed by an op-ed article in which Heard made claims of domestic abuse. A source close to Depp told The Post the actor believes the verdict was overwhelmingly positive for him and it’s time for him and Heard to move on with their lives and heal. But, the source said, since the 36-year-old actress brought further litigation with her appeal, Depp is counter-appealing in Fairfax, Virginia, court to ensure the record includes his side and that all the legal issues are considered by the appeals court. Depp originally sued Heard for $50 million. While Heard didn’t name Depp in the Washington Post essay, his lawyers argued that it was a clear reference to her allegations that he abused her during their 2016 split. Heard countersued for $100 million, claiming that she was defamed when Depp’s lawyer Adam Waldman made public statements calling her allegations a hoax. The jury had to consider three of Waldman’s statements and found that one of them defamed her when Waldman claimed that she and her friends “spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight” when the police responded to a domestic disturbance call at the couple’s home in 2016. The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, but the amount was reduced since Virginia caps punitive damages at $350,000. The jury awarded Heard a $2 million verdict on just one of her defamation claims. The six-week trial featured wild testimony including claims that Heard severed the tip of Depp’s finger during a 2015 fight and claims that Heard, or one of her friends, defecated on their bed. Reps for Heard didn’t immediately return a request for comment. |
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