Johnny Depp won his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard on Wednesday, as determined by a Virginia jury.
The jury awarded damages to Depp to the tune of $10 million with an additional $5 million in punitive damages. The state cap of $350,000 was adjusted by the judge in the case of Depp.
The jury awarded Heart $2 million in compensation for damages stemming from a defamation counterclaim that she filed against Depp’s lawyer, which claimed that her abuse allegations were a hoax.
The jury determined that Heard had acted maliciously and that statements made by Heard about Depp were false.
Depp was not present for the decision, as he had flown to the United Kingdom and performed at a concert.
Jury awards 15 million dollars to Johnny Depp for defamation in his case against Amber Heard. pic.twitter.com/Mc1ea2llvp
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 1, 2022
Depp had originally filed a $50 million lawsuit against Heard, accusing her of libeling him in a Washington Post op-ed in 2018. She described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” The trial took place in Virginia due to this, as the Post’s servers are located in Fairfax.
After the ruling, Depp released a statement on Instagram that read, “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people, who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye.”
“False, Very serious, and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career. And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am
truly humbled. My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought.
From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. 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.
“I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world. I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media,” he said.
“I wish to acknowledge the work of the Judge, the jurors, the court staff, and Sheriff’s who have sacrificed their own time to get to this point, and to my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping me to share the truth,” he concluded.
