Johnny Depp won his defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard on Wednesday, and the jury awarded him $15 million in damages. Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages in his defamation suit. The jury also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages.
The jury in Fairfax, Virginia, began deliberating Friday.
Depp sued Heard for $50 million after she wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018 in which she called herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard countersued Depp for $100 million.
Less than an hour after Depp won his defamation case against Heard on Wednesday, he said in a statement that he felt like the “jury gave me my life back.”
Amber expressed disappointment over the verdict. She penned a note on Twitter which read, “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband. I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”
After several years of dating, Johnny and Amber married in a very private ceremony at their home in Los Angeles in 2015. On May 23, 2016, Amber filed for divorce from Johnny and obtained a temporary restraining order against the Oscar-nominated actor. She alleged that Johnny had physically abused her during their relationship, and said it was usually while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
