Following a 2018-Oped in The Washington Post, in which Amber Heard called herself “a public figure representing domestic abuse”, Johny Depp sued her with a defamation charge of $50m. Depp was not named in the article but he said that the insinuation brought him under the spotlight and cost him work. Heard countersued him with a $100m claim.
The two appeared before the court in a weeks-long, very public trial, and the results of the same came in last evening.
The court found Depp guilty of defamation on 1 count and Heard guilty of defamation on 3 counts. This reflected in the compensatory damages the two were awarded.
While Depp received $15m in compensation, Heard got $2m.
Strictly speaking from a legal standpoint, this proved to be a victory for Depp, who said that “the jury gave me my life back”.
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…And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.
You can read his entire statement, here.
Amber Heard also reacted to the verdict and said that she was “heartbroken”.
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 and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.
You can read Amber Heard’s Oped for Washington Post, here.