The much-publicised defamation lawsuit of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard came to an end after gruelling six-week-long trial proceedings. The jury of five men and two women announced their verdict on Wednesday after nearly 13 hours of deliberation spread over three days at the district court in Fairfax, Virginia. The jury has unanimously sided with Depp on the case which means that Amber has lost the case with USD 2 million in compensatory damages by the jury on the basis of her USD 100 million counter-claim.
The actress took to her social media and released her very first public statement since the beginning of the trial. The Aquaman actress expressed her disappointment with the verdict and wrote, "The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband." She also mentioned how the verdict could bring social implications and that the verdict, according to her, wasn’t fair. "I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback."
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp, who is currently in the United Kingdom and did not attend court today, issued a statement shortly after the judgement in his USD 50 million defamation case against his ex-wife. "Six years ago, my life, the lives of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and the lives of those who have supported and believed in me for many, many years were forever changed. The jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled,” Depp said in his statement.
In addition, the legal team also celebrated the jury verdict for the defamation trial with their statements. Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez who became an internet icon during the trial's live streaming said, "Today’s verdict confirms what we have said from the beginning – that the claims against Johnny Depp are defamatory and unsupported by any evidence. We are grateful, so grateful to the jury for their careful deliberation," via a media report.
For those unversed with the lawsuit, the two have been entangled in a six-week trial, with Depp suing Heard for USD 50 million for an op-ed she penned in The Washington Post in 2018 and Heard counter-suing him for USD 100 million. Today, the jury ruled in Depp's favour, awarding him USD 10 million in compensatory damages and USD 5 million in punitive penalties.