Amber Heard disappointed after verdict in defamation case against Johnny Depp

Amber Heard disappointed after verdict – Amber Heard says she is disappointed with the jury’s verdict in the defamation case that her ex-husband Johnny Depp had filed against her. The jury ruled Wednesday that she had committed defamation against Depp with a 2018 article in The Washington Post. She now has to pay him millions of dollars in damages.

“I can’t explain in words how disappointed I am. My heart is broken. A mountain of evidence was not enough against the extraordinary influence that my ex-husband has,” said the 36-year-old actress in a first reaction.

“I am especially disappointed by what this judgment means for other women. It’s a step back to the days when women who speak out are publicly ridiculed. It brings us back to the idea that violence against women doesn’t need to be taken seriously.”

Depp sued his ex-wife for defamation, because of an article that appeared in the American newspaper The Washington Post in 2018. In it, Heard wrote to be a “survivor” of domestic violence.

She did not mention Depp’s name, but according to the actor it was clear that it was about him. The actor told the court that he has missed out on several film roles since the publication of the article.

In the same case, Heard believed she had been the victim of defamation because Depp’s lawyers called her allegations false. She then decided to sue her ex for 100 million dollars.

Life regained

Depp was proved right by the jury on all points, but Heard in her case only on a few points. She has to pay her ex-husband 15 million dollars (14 million euros) from the jury. Depp, in turn, has to pay her $2 million.

The damages that Heard must pay consist of compensation of 10 million dollars and a ‘punitive damage‘ of 5 million dollars, which is intended to prevent something from happening again. In the state of Virginia, however, the punitive damage may amount to a maximum of 350,000 dollars, so that Heard ultimately has to transfer 8,350,000 dollars (7.8 million euros) to her ex.

Depp said Wednesday via Instagram that he is happy with the jury’s verdict. According to him, thanks to the ruling, he got his life back. “From the beginning, my goal was to get the truth out and now that that truth is there, I finally have peace,” the actor writes.