Depp verdict: Actor wins defamation trial as Heard awarded one counterclaim
The jury in the defamation trial opposing Johnny Depp and Amber Heard reached a verdict on the third day of deliberations, handing a victory to Depp and a partial win to Heard.
Depp sued Heard for $50m for implying he abused her in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Although she didn’t name him, he claims her allegations impacted his ability to work. She pursued a $100m counterclaim.
The jury found that Heard defamed Depp on all three counts and awarded him $10m in compensatory damages and $5m in punitive damages. Heard was awarded $2m in compensatory damages, but no punitive damages.
In closing arguments, Depp’s lawyers asked jurors to “give him his life back” after it was “ruined” by Heard’s domestic abuse allegations. On Wednesday, the “humbled” actor thanked them for doing so and said a new chapter was now beginning for him after six years.
In their closing, Heard’s lawyers said ruling in favour of Depp would make jurors an “accomplice” to his abuse and to his “campaign of global humiliation”. In a statement, she expressed “disappointment beyond words” and said she was heartbroken, claiming that it was a “setback” for women.
