Compensatory vs punitive damages: Legal experts weigh in on Depp, Heard verdict

foxnews.com:

Johnny Depp won the defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard on Wednesday following a nearly seven-week trial in Virginia amid allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault.

A seven-member jury declared Heard defamed Depp on all counts, and awarded the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star $5 million in punitive damages, in addition to $10 million in compensatory damages.

Punitive damages, though, were immediately reduced to the maximum amount allowed in the state, $350,000. Depp initially sought a $50 million payout, and Heard counter sued for $100 million in damages.

Compensatory vs punitive damages: Legal experts weigh in on Depp, Heard verdict (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP) Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, described compensatory damages to Fox News Digital as "past and future economic losses." "Johnny Depp being canceled and not being cast by Hollywood studios, his pain and suffering, his emotional distress — those are all different types of compensatory damages," Rahmani said.