Johnny Depp happy with verdict in defamation case: ‘I have my life back’ – “Johnny Depp” is satisfied with the jury’s verdict in the defamation case he filed against his ex-wife Amber Heard. The 58-year-old actor got Wednesday from the jury in the American state of Virginia on all points right. “The jury gave me my life back. I feel very humbled,” writes Depp in a first reaction on Instagram.
“Six years ago, my life, the lives of my children and the people around me changed forever. False, very serious and criminal accusations have been made about me in the media, while no official charges have ever been brought against me.”
“In a flash, the messages already went around the world twice. That had an incredible impact on my life and my career,” Depp writes. Due to the accusations, he lost film roles in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
He says that despite the worldwide attention it would create, he had made a deliberate decision by filing the defamation case. “From the beginning, my goal was to get the truth out. I owed it to my children and the people who support me to tell the truth. Now that that truth is there, I finally have peace.”
“I hope my fight to tell the truth will help other people who are in the same boat. I hope that we will also return to the principle that someone is innocent until proven guilty.”
“A new chapter can finally begin,” Depp concludes his statement.
Johnny Depp happy with verdict in defamation case: ‘I have my life back’
Depp sued Heard for $50 million
The defamation case against his ex Amber Heard revolved around an article that appeared in the American newspaper The Washington Post in 2018. In it, the 36-year-old actress wrote that she was 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. Depp then decided to sue her for 50 million dollars (almost 47 million euros).
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.
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 from the jury. Depp, in turn, has to pay her $2 million.
Two types of compensation
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. As a result, Heard eventually has to transfer 8,350,000 dollars (7.8 million euros) to her ex.
Heard said in an initial reaction to be disappointed with the jury’s verdict. “My heart is broken. A mountain of evidence was not enough in the face of the extraordinary influence my ex-husband has.”
Johnny Depp happy with verdict in defamation case: ‘I have my life back’
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