TheAmber Heardversus Johnny Depp saga continues, as the actress will reportedly appeal againstthe recent verdict made in the multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit.The jury reached a decision yesterday, ultimately finding that both Depp and Heard were defamed but awarded substantially more financial damages to Depp. Speaking withThe New York Timesafter the trial came to a close, a spokesperson for Amber Heard said that “the actress plans to appeal the decision.”
Following six weeks of court hearings, all of which was televised,Johnny Deppwas awarded $15m by the court in Virginia. The actor was awarded $10m in compensatory damages and $5m in punitive damages over an op-ed written by Heard for The Washington Post in 2018, in which she said that she was a survivor of domestic abuse. Amber Heard, meanwhile, was awarded $2m in her countersuit against thePirates of the Caribbeanstar.
“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,”Heard said a statement following the jury’s decision. “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women,” she continued. “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.”
Heard concluded by saying that Johnny Depp’s attorneys “succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech" as well as convincing them to “ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK,” referring to a 2020 libel case which took place in Britain.
Johnny Depp Has Thanked the Jury for Giving Him His Life Back
Since the op-ed, Johnny Depp has lost several major roles in big-budget Hollywood blockbusters, includingPirates of the Caribbean,which is now expected to continue in a sequel without his character Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp was also asked to step down from Warner Bros.’Harry Potterprequel franchiseFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, in which Depp had played the main antagonist, the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. The role has since been recast,withHannibalstar Mads Mikkelsen played the rolein the recent outingFantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Depphas also since released a statementin which he began by saying, “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.”
The actor then detailed how the defamation had affected his life and career before adding:
“And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.” Acknowledging the work of “the Judge, the jurors, the court staff and the Sheriffs” as well as his “diligent and unwavering legal team” Depp concluded saying, “The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun. Truth never perishes.”
