In their defamation lawsuits against one other, a jury held both Amber Heard and Johnny Depp responsible for defamation. Johnny was given much greater damages by the jury, resulting in a legal victory for the actor.
Johnny sued his ex-wife, Amber, for defamation after she penned an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018 in which she identified herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Johnny claims that the report cost him significant movie gigs, despite the fact that he was not identified in the piece. Amber countersued Johnny for defamation over remarks made by his attorney concerning her abuse allegations.
The jury determined that Amber defamed Johnny in three distinct statements in The Washington Post article and that Johnny defamed Amber in one statement made via his attorney.
Johnny was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages by the jury. Amber received $2 million in compensatory damages from the jury, but no punitive damages.
Johnny demanded $50 million in damages, while Heard demanded $100 million. The judge decreased the punitive damages award to $350,000 since punitive damages in Virginia are limited at that level.
Amber remained impassive as the decision was read out in Fairfax court, and afterward professed herself “heartbroken” and “beyond words” devastated by the result.
Meanwhile, Johnny, who was watching the process from the UK, wrote on Instagram that the jury “given me my life back.”
SOURCE: CNN
