Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Trial Verdict: Depp wins defamation suit

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial

Johnny Depp wins defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard. Read on to find out more.

A high-profile celebrity trial that got the entire world glued to their seats has finally reached a decision last night. The Amber Heard – Johnny Depp court trial has finally found closure with the jury siding with Captain Jack Sparrow. That very instant the court premise, reportedly, broke into a ‘Johnny Johnny Johnny’ chant. The six-week trial where a seven-member jury had patiently listened to the arguments of both the parties has finally presented a verdict.

Johnny Depp VS Amber Heard: Quick recap of the trial

For those who were unaware, or faintly aware, let us quickly brief you on this. Amber Heard married Johnny Depp in 2015. After a span of a few months, in 2016, she filed a divorce and pleaded for one on the grounds of various accusations. Labeling their marriage as having ‘irreconcilable differences’, Heard finally manages to get a ticket away from the Depp-Heard tempestuous marriage. For another two years, everything had been quiet with each of them leading their individual lives but hell broke loose when Heard published her op-ed in The Washington Post in 2018. This is where she indirectly pointed her fingers at her ex-husband Johnny Depp; claiming sexual and domestic abuse and also that his presence has affected her career gravely.

What happens next is a whirlwind of accusations shot at each other. Depp had been prompt at suing Heard for defamation and claiming a $50 million compensation. In turn, Amber Heard sued her ex-husband for $100 million. The blame game had just begun then and got its ground even more strongly when the case was taken to Fairfax County Circuit Court. After a six-week broadcast of a tumultuous range of allegations, defamations, and fabrications and the presence of eminent figures testifying for and against Depp and Heard, the seven-member jury has finally reached a verdict. It is imperative to note that the Depp-Heard trial has got people more interested than the Russia-Ukraine war or the groundbreaking verdict that is about to emerge from the US Supreme Court, as BBC claims.

 

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Now that the Jury has pronounced a verdict, let’s get into the details.

What was the verdict in Depp-Heard Trial?

After patiently listening to the arguments for six weeks, the jury has concluded that both Depp and Heard had defamed each other. They found that Heard has defamed Depp in three separate statements in The Washington Post essay; while Depp’s lawyer Adam Waldman had defamed Heard by calling her allegations a ‘hoax’ to the Daily Mail, in 2020. The jury has inferred that Heard did write the 2018 essay with intended malice and therefore has awarded Depp with $10 million along with punitive charges of $5million dollars. Judge Penny Azcarate has reduced the punitive charges to $350,000, resulting in $10.4 million. On the other hand, Heard had won against one of the three defamation statements made by Depp’s lawyer and hence she was awarded $2 million as compensation for damages and no punitive charges. 

 

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According to CNN Legal Analyst Joey Jackson, it is a ‘tremendous’ win for Mr. Johnny Depp. According to him, ‘What he had to overcome was a First Amendment issue which is that we all have the right to express our thoughts and opinions. What they (the jurors) said was that, yeah, you do have a First Amendment right unless you say something that is false that injures someone’s reputation and causes damages to them in their industry.

How did Johnny Depp and Amber Heard react?

Amber Heard who was present in the court was visibly disappointed when the verdict was read out. She is heartbroken at the verdict and has argued that the jury has overlooked her arguments and evidence. She expressed her dejection as to how, as an American, she lost her right to ‘speak freely and openly ‘. She added, ‘I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.’ 

Johnny Depp was not present in the court premise while the verdict was being read out. Yet he has sent a response from the U.K. and has eventually expressed his gratefulness to the jury. He said, ‘ The jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.’ Depp has also emphasized in his statement that his ‘…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.

How did the Attorneys react?

In a short interaction with the reporters outside the court, Depp’s lawyers Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez were seen sharing their thoughts. Camille Vasquez has expressed her gratitude to the jury and said, ‘We are grateful, so grateful, to the jury for their careful deliberation, to the judge and the court staff who have devoted an enormous amount of time and resources towards this case.’  While Amber Heard’s spokesperson has said that she will appeal the verdict. In the following video, you will get hear Chew and Vasquez’s views on the verdict as recorded by ABC News.

Johnny Depp's attorney react after verdict l ABC News
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