Amber Heard has confirmed she will appeal the verdict of her defamation case against Johnny Depp after the jury ruled in his favour. A representative for the Aquaman actress announced her decision to the New York Times just hours after she released a statement claiming she was 'heartbroken' by the result.
The court ruled that Amber would have to pay her ex-husband $15million in damages after she lost the case. Johnny, 58, brought the case to court after accusing Amber, 36, of defaming him in a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post entitled.
As a result Depp sued his ex-wife for $50million.
READ MORE:
Following six weeks of evidence and roughly 13 hours of deliberation, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor was awarded compensatory damages of $10m dollars (£8m) and a further $5m (£4m) in punitive damages, reports Wales Online.
Heard was also awarded $2m (£1.6m) in damages after her counterclaim against Depp over comments made by his lawyer Adam Waldman, who allegedly referred to her abuse claims as a “hoax”, was also found to be defamatory.
Experts say that to appeal the jury's verdict, Heard would have to post a bond for the full $10m judgement, plus interest, reports the Mirror. The actress would have to demonstrate there were errors in the trial or in the jury's reading of the law to be successful.
Depp had consistently denied the “outrageous, outlandish” claims of abuse and said he had “spoken up for what I have been carrying on my back reluctantly for six years” during his own evidence. The court previously heard that descriptions of his drug use and violence were exaggerated by Ms Heard and her legal team.
The case was heard in Virginia rather than in California, where the actors live, because The Washington Post’s online editions are published through servers located in Fairfax County. Witnesses have included family members, friends, colleagues, employees and other individuals including British supermodel Kate Moss, as well as both Depp and Heard.
During the course of the trial at Fairfax County District Court, legions of fans gathered outside in an attempt to enter the courtroom and observe proceedings. Many lined up outside the courthouse in anticipation of the verdict and gave huge cheers as the verdicts were read out.
After winning the case, Johnny Depp released a statement to his 22.3 million followers on Instagram, which read in short: "The jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled. Truth never perishes."
