Johnny Depp wins high profile defamation suit against Amber Heard

Johnny Depp, a well-known American actor, won a high-profile defamation case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, on Wednesday.

Last Friday, a jury in Fairfax, Virginia, began deliberate on the case.

After writing an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018, Depp sued Heard for $50 million, claiming she was a “public figure symbolizing domestic abuse.”

Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming that during their 15-month marriage, she was subjected to domestic violence.

Johnny Depp was awarded $15 million in damages by a jury.

Amber Heard has also won a portion of her libel action against Johnny Depp, which stemmed from pieces in a privately owned newspaper in which Johnny Depp’s previous lawyer called her domestic abuse claims a fake.

Amber Heard was awarded $2 million in damages by a jury.

‘Six years ago, my life, the lives of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also the lives of the individuals who have supported and believed in me for many, many years were permanently changed,’ Johnny Depp said on his Instagram account shortly after the verdict was announced. Everything happened in the blink of an eye.’

‘False, very severe, and criminal allegations were made about me in the media, resulting in a constant bombardment of hostile information, despite the fact that no charges were ever filed against me.’ It had already traveled twice around the world in a nanosecond and had a profound impact on my life and career. Six years later, the jury returned my life to me. Depp wrote, “I am very humbled.”

‘I made the choice to pursue this lawsuit after much deliberation, knowing full well the magnitude of the legal challenges I would face and the inevitability of a worldwide spotlight on my life.’ The purpose of pursuing this lawsuit from the start was to uncover the truth, regardless of the outcome. I owed it to my children and all those who have remained strong in their support for me to tell the truth. ‘It makes me feel good to know I’ve finally done it,’ Depp stated.

‘I am, and have been, astounded by the outpouring of love and the enormous support and kindness from all across the world,’ Depp said. I hope that my quest for the truth has aided others, both men and women, who have found themselves in similar situations, and that those who support them never give up. I also hope that, both in the courts and in the media, the position will now be “innocent until proven guilty.” I’d want to thank the Judge, the jury, the court staff, and the Sheriffs for their selfless efforts in getting us to this point, as well as my tenacious and unshakable legal team for their tireless efforts in assisting me in sharing the truth.’

The best is yet to come, according to Depp, and a new chapter has finally begun.

‘Numquam perit veritas. ‘Truth never dies,’ he asserted.

Heard, on the other hand, expressed unhappiness with the decision. ‘The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,’ she wrote in a Twitter message. I’m heartbroken that the weight of evidence was insufficient to overcome my ex-enormous husband’s power, influence, and persuasion. I’m even more dissatisfied with the implications of this decision for other women. It’s a stumbling block. It turns the clock back to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publically humiliated and shamed. It undermines the notion that women’s violence should be treated seriously.’

‘I believe Johnny’s lawyers were successful in persuading the jury to overlook the crucial issue of free speech and to disregard evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.’ I’m disappointed that I didn’t win this case. But what makes me even sadder is that I appear to have lost a right that I thought I had as an American: the right to speak freely and openly,’ she said.

Depp and Heard married in a very secret ceremony in their Los Angeles home in 2015 after dating for several years.

Heard filed for divorce from Depp on May 23, 2016, and secured a temporary restraining order against the Oscar nominee.

She said Depp had physically abused her during their relationship, and that it happened most often while he was high on drugs or alcohol.