Johnny Depp has won his multimillion-dollar US lawsuit against former wife Amber Heard after a jury ruled her 2018 article in the Washington Post was defamatory. Mr Depp sued the Aquaman star for $50m over the piece, titled: "I spoke up against sexual violence - and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change."
The article does not mention Mr Depp by name, but his lawyers said it falsely implied he physically and sexually abused Ms Heard while they were together. Following six weeks of evidence and roughly 13 hours of deliberation, jurors returned a verdict in favour of Mr Depp on Wednesday (June 1).
Ms Heard, who was sitting between members of her legal team at the front of the court room, looked downcast as the ruling was read out by the judge. The actress had her head bowed and appeared to be listening intently to the verdict.
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Mr Depp was not in court for the ruling. A source confirmed to the PA news agency that he was still in the UK.
At the time the verdict was returned, he was reported to be in the north east of England. In the past few days, Mr Depp has made appearances on stage alongside musician Jeff Beck in the UK.
Mr Depp was awarded compensatory damages of $10m (£8m) and a further $5m (£4m) in punitive damages. The actor has consistently denied the 'outrageous, outlandish' claims of abuse and said he had 'spoken up for what [he has] been carrying on [his] back reluctantly for six years' in his evidence during the trial.
During closing remarks, both sides urged jurors to think about other victims of domestic abuse. Ms Heard’s legal team highlighted the message that a verdict in Mr Depp's favour would send to others, while the actor's representatives said her claims were 'an act of profound cruelty to true survivors'.
Following the verdict, Ms Heard said she felt 'heartbroken'. She added: "The disappointment I feel today is beyond words."
Mr Depp, in a statement, said he 'feels at peace' and was 'truly humbled', adding: "The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun."
The court previously heard that descriptions of Mr Depp’s drug use and violence were exaggerated by Ms Heard and her legal team. The case was brought 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 included family members, friends, colleagues, employees and other individuals including British supermodel Kate Moss, as well as both Mr Depp and Ms 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.
