Depp is right in defamation case – Johnny Depp has been proved right in the defamation case he filed against his ex Amber Heard. The jury ruled that the actress must pay 15 million dollars (14 million euros) to her ex-husband. Depp, in turn, has to pay $2 million to Heard. The seven-member jury announced the verdict Wednesday in the court of Fairfax in the US state of Virginia.
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. He demanded 50 million dollars (about 47 million euros) from Heard.
In the same case, Heard believed she had been the victim of defamation because Depp’s lawyers called her allegations false. According to Depp’s lawyer, the actress would have set up a hoax around sexual violence.
She then decided to sue her ex for 100 million dollars. This gave the jury the task of passing judgment on two cases.
Depp is right on all points “Depp is right in defamation case”
Depp was proved right by the jury on all points, Heard in her case only on a few points. Heard would indeed have been guilty of defamation. Conversely, according to the jury, it would only have been proven that Depp’s lawyer spoke benevolently ill of her.
The damages that Heard must pay consist of a compensation of 10 million dollars and a ‘punitive damage‘ of 5 million dollars. The latter is intended to prevent something from happening again.
In the state of Virginia, punitive damage can be up to $350,000. Because of this and the 2 million dollars she gets from Depp, Heard eventually has to transfer 8,350,000 dollars (7.8 million euros) to her ex.
Depp is right in defamation case: Heard has to pay millions to ex-husband
Depp not present, Heard disappointed
Depp was not present in court for the verdict, Heard was. The actor watched the verdict from the UK, where he is currently for performances.
“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,” Heard said in an initial 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 writes on Instagram that the jury has given him his life back with the verdict. “My goal was to reveal the truth, no matter what the outcome would be. I owed it to my children and the people who support me to tell the truth. And now that I’ve done that, I feel peaceful.”
Depp and Heard were married from 2015 to 2017, but the actress filed for divorce in 2016. At the time, she also asked the judge for a restraining order for Depp, because he would have been guilty of domestic violence.
Depp is right in defamation case: Heard has to pay millions to ex-husband
Trial lasted more than six weeks
The trial in the United States began on April 12 in the Fairfax district of Virginia and lasted more than six weeks. The case could be watched live and attracted worldwide attention.
Not only Depp and Heard took a seat on the witness stand, but also various experts and friends and family of the two. During the hearings, the marriage of the actors was discussed in detail. Both sides accused each other of domestic violence.
Details came out in 2020, when the couple faced each other in a lawsuit in the United Kingdom. That case was about a piece in The Sun, in which Depp was called a “womanizer”. Depp lost that case and had to pay millions to his ex-wife.
The trial between the ex-lovers could be followed live worldwide and attracted millions of viewers.
Depp is right in defamation case: Heard has to pay millions to ex-husband
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