Domestic abuse survivors fear "victims will be silenced" by the verdict of Johnny Depp's libel case against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star won the case following a verdict from a jury yesterday.
The 58-year-old was awarded compensatory damages of $10million (£8 million) and a further $5 million (£4 million) in punitive damages
The jury ruled that Amber's op-ed article for the Washington Post about domestic violence, titled 'I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change', had been defamatory.
The Mirror reports that there are now many people who fear the verdict will be 'twisted and misapplied' when other women speak out in the future.
Following the verdict, a social media storm was created with those who are either pro-Johnny or pro-Amber posting their support or worries over the jury's conclusions online.
"I don't care how you feel about Johnny Depp or Amber Heard - this is a very bad day for women who are victims," one user said.
A survivor told Rolling Stone: "People who have decided women are liars, and abusers are equal victims, won't be swayed. And the damage to victims in terms of silencing and scaring them has already been done, so Johnny Depp's PR machine has won.
"The silence so many fought against for so many years will once again descend over survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence."
Another concerned user added: "I fear that regardless of the merits of the case, many women will suffer as a consequence of the Heard-Depp verdicts. The results will be twisted and misapplied in ways that will make further abuse likely."
However, other victims of domestic abuse have celebrated the win for Depp - and insisted it is a victory for male victims of domestic violence.
"Johnny Depp has won his defamation case against Amber Heard," one user said. "This is not just a victory for Johnny, but a victory for male victims of domestic abuse & false allegations. Captain Jack Sparrow has gifted male victims a voice.
Another user explained: "I'm a female DV survivor & I have been sickened by the way Heard exploited genuine victims & made it even harder for them to be believed.
"Depp won because the *evidence* overwhelmingly supported his case. & btw he is a survivor too."
One added: "I'm a survivor. This is what I ALWAYS wanted. Only thing I'm sickened by is that she somehow got away with paying him ONLY $10million."
Johnny brought the case to court after accusing Amber of defaming him in a 2018 op-ed she penned for The Washington Post.
The article does not mention Johnny by name, but his lawyers said it falsely implied he physically and sexually abused Ms Heard while they were together.
After the six-week-long televised trial was over, fans were seen cheering for Johnny outside the Virginia courthouse.
The Rango actor took to social media to thank his fans for their support after he was able to speak his truth.
"I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up," he explained on Instagram.
His ex-wife, who is appealing the jury's decision, said she was 'heartbroken' by the verdict and added: "I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback."
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