Johnny Depp wins defamation case against Amber Heard, awarded $15,000,000 after lengthy court battle

metro.co.uk:

supports HTML5 videoJohnny Depp has won his defamation case against Amber Heard, after the jury returned their verdict.Deliberations began last week after a lengthy hearing at the Fairfax County Courthouse, which began in April.Today, the jury confirmed that they had unanimously reached a verdict, awarding the Pirates of the Caribbean actor – who was not in court – $10million in compensatory damages, and a further $5million in punitive damages.Heard won one of her three defamation countersuit claims against Depp, and was awarded $2million.She had her head bowed in court as she listened to the jury verdict come in.Speaking afterwards, she said in a statement: ‘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.‘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. ‘It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously. ‘I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.‘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 sued his ex-wife, 36, for $50million over an op-ed she wrote in 2018, about her experiences with domestic violence.While the 58-year-old was not named in the Washington Post article, his team argued that it implied he was sexually and physically abusive over the course of their.