Johnny Depp wins US libel lawsuit against former wife Amber Heard
Actor Johnny Depp has won his US lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard – with the jury ruling overwhelmingly in Depp’s favour in the multimillion-dollar case that captured the world.
Johnny Depp has sued Heard for $50m for defamation over an article published in The Washington Post in 2018, Heard countersued for $100m.
Depp was awarded $15m by the court – that’s $10m compensatory damages and a further $5m in punitive damages- but the judge capped the punitive damages total in accordance with legal limits, resulting in a total of $10.35m.
Amber Heard was awarded a total of $2m in her counter-suit against her ex-husband.
The ruling was an overwhelming win for Johnny Depp, despite the jury ruling in favour of Heard on one count.
Johnny Depp, who’s currently in the UK playing gigs with Jeff Beck, said he was “truly humbled” by the verdict ad said the allegations had a “seismic impact” on his life and career.
“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” he said.
“Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me.
“I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
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Heard was in the court when the verdict was read out, she released a statement saying she was “heartbroken” by the verdict.
She claimed it “sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated”.
She added: “I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly.”
Depp v Heard the op-ed
Depp had sued Heard for $50m over a first-person article in which she referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard’s article never mentioned Depp by name, but he argued that it was an example of “defamation by implication” because parts of the column referred to allegations of abuse she made against him following their break-up in 2016.
Heard had a counter-claim for $100m over statements calling her allegations a “hoax” made by her ex-husband’s attorney which were published in Mail Online stories in 2020.
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LIVE: Johnny Depp v Amber Heard Trial VERDICT DAY 3
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