Johnny Depp wins defamation case against Amber Heard
Celebrities have weighed in after Hollywood star Johnny Depp won his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
The jury in the high profile defamation trial between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard has ruled in favour of the Pirates of the Caribbean star.
The seven-person jury resumed their deliberations Wednesday US time in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Virginia, before announcing they had come to a unanimous decision on Thursday.
The jury found that Heard defamed Depp in a 2018 Washington Post article that they agreed was false, defamatory and with malice, on all counts, and awarded him US$15 million damages, comprised of $10m compensatory and a further $5m punitive.
Depp released a statement in response to the verdict saying “the jury gave me my life back”.
“I am truly humbled,” he continued.
“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.
“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.”
Statement from #JohnnyDepp on winning his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, #AmberHeard@LawCrimeNetworkpic.twitter.com/LcC42KgPIE
— Angenette Levy (@Angenette5) June 1, 2022
Outside the court, Depp’s lawyers received a rock star reception from the movie star’s fans who cheered for and waved at them, ahead of a press conference.
Speaking to reporters, the legal team thanked the jury for their “careful consideration”.
Lawyers Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Chew said Heard’s claims were clearly “defamatory and not supported by any evidence” and that they were “so grateful to the jury for their careful deliberations”. They added that they were “truly honoured” to work with Depp on the case and that it was “now time to turn the page and look to the future”.
Heard won one of her three defamation counterclaims against Depp and was awarded $2 million in damages. The jury found that Depp’s lawyer Adam Waldman defamed her when he told the Daily Mail she set up Depp in a hoax when the police came to their apartment in May 2016.
Heard appeared downtrodden and was pictured hugging her lawyer Elaine Bredehoft before leaving the court.
In a statement to News Corp Australia following the verdict, Heard said she was disappointed “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,” Heard said.
“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.
“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.
I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly.”
Dr Matt Collins QC, one of Australia’s top defamation barristers, said it was unlikely Heard would be found to have undermined the verdict with her comments, due to the First Amendment of the Constitution.
“It protects opinions, and expressions of opinions, to a greater extent than Australian law... A statement like that in Australia would no doubt be brought to the attention of the court - I think it’s less likely in the United States,” he said.
#JohnnyDepp ran the table on his defamation suit. Jury awards $10M in compensatory damages, $5M in punitive damages. Punitive capped by statute at $350K. @LawCrimeNetworkpic.twitter.com/qtMoZ9gTzI
— Angenette Levy (@Angenette5) June 1, 2022
Earlier, Judge Penney Azcarate warned the court she would “tolerate no outbursts whatsoever” before calling a short recess upon noticing the jury had failed to complete the “damages” section of a form.
Depp was not in court to hear the decision because he is in the UK where he has been performing alongside Jeff Beck at the Royal Albert Hall.
He was spotted by fans at The Bridge Tavern pub on Newcastle Quayside, in the north of the country.
“Due to previously scheduled work commitments made before the trial, Mr. Depp will not be physically present for today’s 3pm verdict and will be watching from the United Kingdom,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Heard’s representatives issued a statement as she made her way to court to hear the verdict.
“Your presence shows where your priorities are. Johnny Depp plays guitar in the UK while Amber Heard waits for a verdict in Virginia,” a source close to Heard said, according to a statement from her staff issued to News Corp Australia.
“Depp is taking his snickering and lack of seriousness on tour.”
Closing arguments in the high-profile case were held on Friday at the end of a six-week trial featuring claims and counterclaims of domestic abuse before it was handed to the jury who weighed the case for a total of about 13 hours.
Earlier the jurors posed a key question to the judge about a matter at the heart of the case.
The headline for the online version of the December, 2018 piece read “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
Judge Azcarate said that the jurors were wondering if they should consider whether the headline was defamatory, or whether that should be connected to “the content of the statement, everything in the op ed”.
She said she would instruct the jurors that they were to consider the headline — and not the op-ed as a whole.
“The statement is the headline and not the entire op-ed,” the judge said.
Heard’s legal team previously noted that she did not write or pre-approve the headline — an editor at the Post did — but Depp’s side has focused on the fact that she tweeted out the article without disputing its title.
Depp filed the suit against Heard, 36, over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”.
Depp, 58, during his four days on the witness stand, denied ever physically assaulting Heard and claimed she was the one who was frequently violent.
Heard, who had a starring role in Aquaman, did not name Depp in the article, but he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and is seeking $US50m ($A72m) in damages.
On the jury verdict forms, there were three statements the jury had to consider in determining whether to rule for Depp.
In addition to the headline, jurors were asked to decide whether two phrases within Heard’s op-ed defamed the Pirates of the Caribbean star. In the first passage of her op-ed, Heard wrote that “two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out”.
Depp’s lawyers claimed this line was an unmistakeable reference to Heard seeking and obtaining a restraining order against their client in May 2016.
In the second passage, the actress wrote, “I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse.”
According to the verdict form given to jurors, the jury had to consider whether the headline and passages were about Depp, if they are false, whether each of them has a “defamatory implication” and whether Heard intended for it to smear her ex-husband.
Jurors also had to weigh if Heard acted with “actual malice,” which requires “clear and convincing evidence” that she either knew what she was writing was false or that she acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
The Texas-born Heard countersued for $US100m ($A144m), accusing him of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing his lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment”.
The counterclaim alleges Depp’s then-lawyer, Adam Waldman, defamed Heard when he called her abuse allegations a hoax. The jury is also deliberating on her claims that she was defamed in three difference instances, including in the remarks made by Waldman.
Depp filed the defamation complaint in the United States after losing a separate libel case in London in November 2020 that he brought against The Sun newspaper for calling him a “wife-beater.”
WHERE TO NOW FOR HEARD?
Hollywood insiders told News Corp Australia that they fear Heard’s career is now “completely over” in light of the verdict. The star’s contract with global beauty brand L’Oreal has also reportedly been put “on hold”.
Heard’s role in Aquaman 2 (she was a lead in the first film) was significantly reduced after the fallout from her split from Depp. Concerns around her “chemistry” with actor Jason Momoa were raised in court and it has been revealed she now has just 10 minutes of actual screen time in the film.
MORE ON THE VERDICT FALLOUT FOR HEARD
FIRST GLIMPSE OF DEPP
Depp has been filmed by patrons in a UK pub, moments after the verdict was handed down.
He was spotted with musical star Sam Fender at The Bridge Tavern pub in Newcastle today.
People called out support for the star, with many patting him on the back or shaking his hand as he was ushered through the pub by a bodyguard.
For anyone interested…Johnny Depp and Sam Fender just been seen in The Bridge Tavern pub on Newcastle Quayside ðŸ‘ðŸ»âš«ï¸âšªï¸ pic.twitter.com/j73jjiSiop
— Darren Williams (@DazWilliams) June 1, 2022
CELEBRITIES RESPOND
Less than 24 hours after a jury found Amber Heard defamed Johnny Depp following the explosive six-week trial, celebrities have begun weighing in on the verdict.
Comedian Amy Schumer appeared to land firmly in team Heard with a post on Instagram suggesting she had been treated as a “dirty joke”.
Quoting noted US feminist Gloria Steinem, she wrote: “Any woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned that the armies of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke … She will need her sisterhood.”
Sharon Osbourne, who’s previously expressed support for Depp, told Piers Morgan she was shocked by the win.
“Wow, it wasn’t what I was expecting,” she said, according to Page Six.
“I mean, I wanted Johnny to win but I didn’t expect him to.”
“Pretty Little Liars” star Ashley Benson publicly celebrated the verdict, posting a photo of Depp on Instagram, along with the caption: “YESSSSS” followed by a string of love heart emojis.
Musician Ryan Adams expressed his support with heart, praise hands and flame emojis, reports Page Six, while reality star Harry Jowsey, celebrated with three love heart emojis.
Previously, comedians Chris Rock, Joe Rogan and Bill Burr publicly advocated for Depp, calling Heard a liar, but are yet to comment on the verdict.
Depp’s “Dark Shadows” co-star Eva Green also expressed her support for the 58-year-old, posting on Instagram that she had no doubt Depp would “emerge with his good name and wonderful heart revealed to the world, and life will be better than it ever was for him and his family.”
Howard Stern previously backed Heard, calling Depp a “narcissist,” while Julia Fox, who called out the power imbalance in Heard and Depp’s relationship.
DEPP FANS REACT WITH CHEERS
A large crowd of Depp fans have been waiting outside the court for the verdict, like they have throughout the trial.
They responded to the verdict with loud cheers and chants, with many waving their arms in the air and pumping their fists.
Here’s the reaction outside the Fairfax County Courthouse. https://t.co/g5gmxWdCvtpic.twitter.com/wDxNShBXi3
— David Kaplan (@DKaplanFox5DC) June 1, 2022
Originally published as Johnny Depp wins defamation case against Amber Heard
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