The verdict was originally scheduled to be read in a Virginia court at 9 p.m. GMT, but when it was announced, the jury had not entered an amount for “the amount of damages” on the form containing their decision. The judge then sent them back inside to discuss that figure.
After a short consultation, clarity came: to the various questions whether Heard had caused Depp damage with her opinion piece in The Washington Post on domestic violence, the jury answered “Yes” across the board. According to the jury, Depp and his lawyers proved that Heard did indeed target her with the statements in her opinion piece, that those statements were false, that those statements were libelous, and that that was Heard’s intention. Depp has been awarded $15 million in damages. Ten million dollars of that is compensation, 5 million punitive damages. But because the maximum penalty in Virginia is only $350,000, Depp actually gets “only” $10.35 million. Subtract the 2 million dollars he owes Heard and the actor has 8.35 million euros left on the lawsuit.
The jury also ruled on Heard’s counterclaim for libel committed by Johnny Depp’s attorney. She was only partially right, and was awarded $2 million in damages.
Heard visibly disappointed, Depp at the cafe
Depp was not physically present at the announcement of the decision. “Due to previously scheduled professional commitments made by the actor before the trial, Mr Depp will not be physically present at the verdict and will be watching from the UK,” a source said. A video is circulating on social media showing Depp going to a cafe during the verdict.
Heard did sign present. She was visibly disappointed with the verdict.
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Opinion piece
On April 11, the trial started between actor Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, actress and model. The reason? In 2018, Heard published an opinion piece in the newspaper The Washington Post† In it she wrote about domestic violence. The name of her ex-lover – whom she met at the age of 23 on the set of the film The Rum Diary – wasn’t mentioned once, but everyone knew immediately who she was talking about.
ALSO READ. On theatrical personalities, fingertips and Kate Moss: the pivotal moments of the century’s celebrity trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (+)
Johnny Depp went to court and demanded $50 million in damages. The actor is not primarily out for money, he said from the start, but above all wants reparation. Because, according to him, the complaint brought his career to a dead end, and he missed a number of important roles.
© AP
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Tegenclaim
Heard, for her part, filed a counterclaim for $100 million not long after. She did that because Depp allegedly made her black in the press in recent years. The most important in this are theDepp-Waldman-statements† These are statements that Adam Waldman, a lawyer for Depp, made in the media in which he called Heard a liar. According to the actress, Depp would have severely tackled Heard several times when he was drunk or under the influence of drugs.
She accused the actor of aggressive and jealous behavior. She cited several examples. For example, Depp is said to have behaved violently towards her on board an airplane. Another incident Heard cited was when the couple was in Australia for filming. Heard said that Depp wanted to use drugs and that when she indicated that he did not want to, he became aggressive and abused her.
ALSO READ. Why Depp’s lawyer didn’t jump for joy when Heard suddenly talked about Kate Moss (+)
For six weeks, the dirty laundry of the two movie stars was hung out in the courtroom – and in front of the cameras. It was about a severed fingertip. According to Depp, there had been an argument, Heard threw two bottles of vodka at him, and the second, broken bottle of vodka cut his finger. According to Amber Heard, it was different: she says that she did not throw vodka bottles at Depp, but that he abused her that day with such a bottle. She is said to have taken a sleeping pill, and when she woke up again, she found shards and blood everywhere.
Throughout the entire process, not a single detail was concealed. It made the case one of the most mediatized lawsuits ever.
–© AFP
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Humiliated and Cracked
While Depp kept an army of fans outside with banners, Heard burst into tears several times. She felt humiliated and cracked, she said. Especially when it became clear that the Depp camp had more supporters and public opinion seemed to choose his side completely, Heard had a hard time.
Depp admitted during the trial that he may not have been the good man at the hearth. But he insisted the whole time that he never hit or abused her. “Not if he was sober and clean,” she replied dryly.
Juryoverleg
After the closing arguments, the jury withdrew on Friday for consultation, but after a few hours that consultation was already suspended. The jury did not meet on Monday, because that was a holiday in the United States. The jury also did not reach a decision on Tuesday, which was only reached on Wednesday evening around 7.30 pm (Belgian time).
View the reaction of Depp’s lawyers to the verdict here
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