Johnny Depp wins defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard
On Wednesday, a jury found in Johnny Depp’s favour in his libel action against ex-wife Amber Heard, confirming his belief that Heard made up allegations of abuse by Johnny before and during their brief marriage.
Amber defamed Johnny by claiming to be a victim of domestic abuse, according to the jury’s unanimous ruling. Amber was compelled to pay $15 million in restitution.
Amber claimed that Johnny’s counsel defamed her when he branded her abuse allegations as fake. According to the jury, Johnny Depp should be paid $15 million in damages, while Amber Heard should be awarded $2 million.
Johnny filed a libel suit against Amber in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she authored an op-ed in The Washington Post in December 2018 characterising herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Post winning the case here’s what Johnny posted:
“Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye. False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already travelled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career. And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled. My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable worldwide spectacle into my life was only made after considerable thought. From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that. I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world. 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. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media. I wish to acknowledge the noble work of the Judge, the jurors, the court staff and the Sheriffs who have sacrificed their own time to get to this point, and to my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping me to share the truth.“
Heard filed for divorce from Depp on May 23, 2016, and secured a temporary restraining order against the actor. She said Depp had physically abused her during their relationship, and that it happened most often while he was high on drugs or alcohol.