The verdict is in and the jury has ruled in favour of Johnny Depp in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
The seven-person civil jury reached a unanimous verdict on Wednesday finding Heard defamed Depp in the 2018 op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post about domestic abuse.
Depp’s lawyers argued he was defamed by the article even if it did not mention his name.
He has been awarded $15 million in damages.
Heard has taken to Twitter to say she is heartbroken.
— 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,” Heard says in a Tweet. “I am 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 pubicly shamed and humiliated.”
The jury awarded Heard $2 million in damages after she argued she had been defamed by Depp’s lawyer when he referred to her abuse allegations as a “hoax.”
The trial lasted more than a month with the jury spending the past few days deliberating. Witnesses close to both Depp and Heard took to the stand to offer testimony on their relationship.
Depp was suing Heard for $50 million claiming the article cost him his career.
