Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard Verdict Explained. Johnny Depp Wins Defamation Case Against Amber Heard. The jury awarded Johnny Depp significantly more damages than Amber Heard, making it a legal victory for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor.
The jury awarded Johnny Depp much more damages than Amber Heard, giving the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star a legal victory. Fans are really active on social media celebrating Johnny Depp wins Defamation Case Against Amber Heard.
The jury informed Judge Penney Azcarate that they had reached a decision early in the afternoon, but the verdict was not read until the number of monetary rewards on the jury form had been filled in.
On Tuesday, the much-discussed Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation case came to a close, with the jury awarding the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor more than $10 million and his ex-wife $2 million.
Johnny Depp VS Amber Heard Case
Depp has sued Heard for claiming that he was an abuser in a 2018 article in The Washington Post, seeking $50 million in damages. Heard countersued Depp for $100 million in retaliation for allegations made by his lawyer, Adam Walkman. Depp had defamed Amber Heard in three distinct remarks, according to the verdict, and Depp had defamed her in one with his attorney’s remark.
Depp was found guilty on all three charges by a Virginia civil jury on Wednesday, finding that Heard not only uttered false and defamatory claims but also did so with “actual malice,” a tougher standard for cases involving public personalities. The jury decided that Depp deserved more than $10 million.
Depp should receive $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, according to a jury in Fairfax County, Virginia. However, under state law, punitive damages are limited to $350,000, thus Depp was granted a total of $10.35 million.
Also Read: Amber Heard Says “My Sister Taught Johnny Depp How To Snort Cocaine Using Tampon Applicator”
Why Was Amber Heard Awarded $2 Million
While the Virginia jury found Amber Heard’s piece defamatory to Johnny Depp, it also decided that Heard had been defamed by one of Depp’s lawyers, who claimed that she had staged a detailed hoax that involved roughing up the couple’s flat to make it appear worse for cops. She was granted $2 million by the jury.
Three remarks, in particular one given by a lawyer standing on Depp’s behalf, were scrutinised by the jury. Amber Heard and her companions “spilled a little wine and roughed up the house, got their tales straight, and phoned the cops,” according to the lawyer.
How Johnny Depp Reacted
‘I feel at peace’: Johnny Depp reacts to verdict in libel lawsuit against Amber Heard
Depp stated in his statement, “Regardless of the outcome, the purpose of pursuing this case was to uncover the truth. I owed it to my children and all those who have remained steadfast in their support for me, to tell the truth. I’m relieved that I’ve finally completed that task.”
Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed.
All in the blink of an eye.
False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.
And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.
My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought.
From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.
I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world. I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media.
I wish to acknowledge the noble work of the Judge, the jurors, the court staff and the Sheriffs who have sacrificed their own time to get to this point, and to my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping me to share the truth.
The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun.
Veritas numquam perit.
Truth never perishes.
Amber Heard’s Reaction To Jury’s Verdict
— Amber Heard (@realamberheard) June 1, 2022
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.
“I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up & spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.
“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.
I’m sad I lost this case. But am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American- to speak freely and openly.”
Complete Jury Verdict On Johnny Depp VS Amber Heard Case
First Count Against Heard
Jurors assessed whether the online headline of Depp’s op-ed in The Washington Post defamed him: “I spoke out against sexual violence and was met with the wrath of our culture. This must change.”
Lawyers for Heard said she didn’t compose the headline.
Jurors determined, however, that Heard “made or published” it and that it was defamatory.
Second Count Against Heard
“Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out,” the third paragraph of the op-ed read to jurors.
Given that Heard publicly accused Depp of domestic violence in 2016, Depp’s lawyers said it clearly referred to him.
Heard’s lawyers claimed that a mountain of evidence showed Heard had been abused multiple times, and that just one instance of proven abuse would render the line non-defamatory. They also claimed that the statement was objectively true because it focused on Heard’s experience speaking out rather than Depp.
The jury disagreed and found the statement to be defamatory.
Third Count Against Amber Heard
“I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real-time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse,” Heard wrote in a second section of the op-ed.
It clearly referred to Depp, according to Depp’s attorneys.
And, as with the other two counts, the jury determined that Heard defamed Depp with “actual malice” – that is, there was clear and convincing evidence that Heard either knew it was false or acted with reckless disregard for truth.
First Count Against Johnny Depp
Heard filed three counts of defamation against Depp, alleging that his former attorney Adam Waldman had repeatedly defamed her by calling Heard’s abuse allegations a hoax. Heard claimed that the remarks had harmed her career.
Jurors considered Waldman’s statement, which was published on The Daily Mail’s website on April 8, 2020: “Depending on their needs, Amber Heard and her media friends use false sexual-violence allegations as both a sword and a shield. They’ve chosen some of her sexual-violence hoax ‘facts’ to wield as the sword, inflicting them on the general public as well as Mr. Depp.”
The jury decided that Heard’s lawyers had failed to prove all of the elements of defamation.
Second Count Against Johnny Depp
Heard won her only case against Waldman, who made a statement to The Daily Mail. Following a 2016 fight in the couple’s Hollywood penthouse, which prompted Heard to call the cops, he accused Heard and her friends of fabricating abuse allegations.
The statement reads as follows: “Simply put, this was a set-up, a ruse. They tried to frame Mr. Depp by calling the cops, but the first attempt failed. Officers arrived at the penthouses, conducted a thorough search and interview, and then left after observing no damage to the face or property. So Amber and her friends poured some wine and roughed up the place, got their stories straightened out with the help of a lawyer and publicist, and then dialed 911 again.”
Two officers testified that no signs of injury were visible on Heard’s face, despite the fact that she appeared in public with a mark on her face a few days later to seek a temporary restraining order. Waldman’s statement was false and defamatory, and he acted with actual malice, according to the jury.
Third Count Against Johnny Depp
“We have reached the beginning of the end of Ms. Heard’s abuse hoax against Johnny Depp,” a statement from the same article said in the final count against Waldman. Jurors found that Heard’s lawyers had failed to show that the statement was defamatory.