Counting the cost of Johnny Depp v Amber Heard as blockbuster court case ends

Johnny Depp’s Hollywood career is in doubt and his ex-wife Amber Heard is facing financial ruin after sordid details of their marriage were aired in court.

Amber Heard waits for the jury decision. Picture: AFP

After weeks of explosive testimony and three days of deliberations, the jury delivered a split verdict overnight on Wednesday in the widely watched defamation case between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard.

And while the jury found that each had defamed the other, Depp celebrated the verdict as a victory and Heard declared herself disappointed “beyond words.” Here are some of the key moments from the blockbuster trial, which featured blistering claims and counterclaims of domestic abuse.

Johnny Depp displays the middle finger of his hand, injured while he and his ex-wife Amber Heard were in Australia in 2015. Picture: AFP

The severed fingertip

Hours of testimony during the six-week trial were devoted to a grisly incident in March 2015 in Australia, where Depp was filming the fifth instalment of Pirates of the ­Caribbean. The tip of Depp’s right-hand middle finger was severed during a heated argument with Heard at their rented home.

Depp said it occurred when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him. Heard said she did not know how it happened but it may have been when he smashed a wall-mounted phone.

Both agreed, though, that Depp used his bloody digit to scrawl cryptic messages on walls, lampshades and mirrors in the home.

Poo on the bed

Among many bizarre incidents cited during the trial was a story about feces deposited one day on Depp’s side of the couple’s bed.

Depp said he was shown a photograph of “human fecal matter” on the bed after he and Heard argued during her 30th birthday party.

Heard tried to blame it on their dogs, Depp said, but “they’re teacup Yorkies, they weigh about four pounds each”. Heard said one dog had bowel problems after eating some of Depp’s marijuana as a puppy.

As for the dogs, Heard accused Depp of once holding one of them out of the window of a moving car while “howling like an animal”. The dog was unhurt.

Kate Moss is sworn in via video link at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse. Picture: AFP

The witnesses

Both sides presented multiple witnesses, although rumoured testimony by billionaire Elon Musk, Heard’s ex-boyfriend, and her co-star James Franco ultimately did not materialise.

But there were a couple of celebrity appearances.

Kate Moss, Depp’s former girlfriend, shot down a longstanding rumour that he had once thrown the British supermodel down a flight of stairs.

Moss gave evidence by video link that it never happened.

Actress Ellen Barkin, another ex-girlfriend, testified Depp was jealous, controlling, and drunk “a lot of the time,” and once threw a wine bottle in a hotel room.

Other witnesses included bodyguards, agents, business managers, doctors, friends, relatives, and even the former doorman of the luxury penthouse complex where the couple once lived in Los Angeles.

Doorman Alejandro Romero probably spoke for many involved in the case when he said: “I am so stressed out. I don’t want to deal with this anymore.”

Amber Heard waits for the jury to announce its verdict. Picture: AFP

The evidence

Audio and video recordings of heated, profanity-laced arguments between Depp and Heard were ­entered into evidence.

In one video recorded by Heard in their kitchen, Depp is seen shouting, smashing glass cabinets and pouring himself an enormous glass of red wine.

Both Depp and Heard submitted photos of injuries they claimed were inflicted by the other.

Heard’s lawyers also presented photos purporting to show Depp passed out after drinking excessively or using drugs.

Text messages between Depp and various people were displayed in which he described in crude and violent language what he would like to see happen to Heard.

Depp’s lawyers downplayed the texts, saying he just had a colourful way of writing, similar to that of his late friend, journalist and author Hunter S Thompson.

The Depp fans

Fans of Depp queued up for hours daily to secure coveted seats in the public gallery for the trial held in Fairfax, Virginia.

While the spectators mostly behaved themselves, Judge Penney Azcarate threatened to expel them at one point during Heard’s testimony. “If I hear one more sound, I will clear the gallery,” Azcarate warned. “Understood?”

Depp fans also waged a massive campaign on social media in support of the actor with the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp.

Heard said she had received thousands of death threats. “People want to kill me and they tell me so every day,” she said.

The trial was followed online by millions of people tuning in to live­streams. Many of them generated memes or animated GIFs in real-time, most frequently lauding Depp and ridiculing Heard.

Depp with a fan in Newcastle, England, hours before the jury was to announce its verdict. Picture: Facebook

Damaged careers

Both Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee, and Heard claimed their careers have been damaged.

Heard, who starred in Aquaman, one of the top-grossing films ever, said she had to fight to retain a role in Aquaman 2 and alleged that Depp tried to get Warner Brothers to cut her from the sequel.

Heard’s legal team presented an entertainment industry expert who estimated she has lost up to $US50m in lost film and TV roles and endorsements.

An industry expert hired by Depp’s side said he had lost millions because of the abuse accusations, including a $US22.5m payday for a sixth Pirates instalment.

But Tracey Jacobs, Depp’s former agent, said there never was a formal agreement for another ­Pirates film. Jacobs also said the actor’s star had begun to dim since 2010 because of “unprofessional behaviour” which included drinking and drug use.

A Hollywood producer who has worked with Depp in the past said major studios may find it difficult to get insurance for mega-budget productions featuring the actor.

“The damage that’s done is done, and from this it might start a process back to some sort of normalcy,” said the producer who asked not to be identified.

“But I don’t think he’s going to get big, big, big studio jobs where there’s so much on the line.

“If he’s throwing bottles and taking drugs, and he’s late, they’re not gonna put up with the tardiness that costs a boatload of money for somebody who isn’t a shining star any longer. It’s too risky to put a guy like that into billion-dollar franchises now,” they said.

Heard and Depp in happier times, in 2015. Picture: AFP

Painful verdict

The five-man, two-woman jury, after deliberating over three days, unanimously found Heard liable for all three counts of defamation against Depp and awarded him $US10m in compensatory damages and $US5m in punitive damages. Virginia law caps punitive damages at $350,000 meaning the total award is $10.35m.

Heard prevailed on just one of the three counterclaims she made against Depp and the jury awarded her damages of $US2m, meaning she owes Depp $US8.35m.

Heard is said to be facing bankruptcy because of the size of the damages awarded against her.

Depp supporters outside the courthouse in Virginia. Picture: Getty Images

The aftermath

Stars from Marlon Brando to Mel Gibson have enjoyed massive box office success after seismic controversies and while there is no direct comparison, Depp could still make a comeback.

“I think there are studios that will be willing to work with him at this point,” said Karen North, a University of Southern California professor specialising in reputation management.

Despite a string of recent flops, “he’s almost always been very good for the box office”, she said, noting that Depp is “as much in the public eye now as he ever has been because of the trial”.

Depp spent the days before the verdict playing rock concerts in England with guitarist Jeff Beck, potentially demonstrating his interests are broader than a silver-screen comeback. And if he were to return to the big screen, it would not necessarily need to be in glitzy Hollywood.

“He could become an indie darling, where the shoots are six to eight weeks, the payment is $250,000, and he gets 25 per cent of the ownership of the movie, or something like that,” said the producer who worked with Depp.

“He’ll work in Europe; they don’t care about this kind of thing,” said the producer. “He’ll make French films.”

Still, while jurors and social media opinion may have swayed in Depp’s direction during the trial, that is no guarantee that his box ­office appeal will return, particularly among women.

“The things he said are vile,” said the producer, pointing to text messages introduced during the trial, which featured Depp calling Heard an “idiot cow” and talking about her “rotting corpse”.

AFP