The defamation trial between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard is coming to an end. The verdict was given this Wednesday evening at the court of Fairfax.
After long weeks of arm wrestling, the verdict finally fell this Wednesday, June 1: the jury of the court of Fairfax, Virginia, found Amber Heard guilty of defamation against her ex-husband Johnny Depp . The jury imposed 15 million dollars in damages to the actress.
Amber Heard still obtained a small victory because the jury found that Johnny Depp had also defamed her, after statements by his lawyer in the “Daily Mail”. She will therefore receive 2 million dollars in damages.
As a reminder, Johnny Depp had sued his ex-wife for defamation following an article published in December 2018 in the “Washington Post”, in which she said she was a victim of domestic violence, without naming her ex-husband. The star of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films had claimed $ 50 million in damages, believing that the article has greatly damaged his career and reputation. Amber Heard had then counterattacked and claimed 100 million dollars.
After six weeks of debate broadcast live on American television, the seven jurors – five men and two women – began their deliberations last Friday.
The former spouses had already opposed in court in the summer of 2020 in London, in the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and the English tabloid “The Sun”. The newspaper had then called Amber Heard as a witness to defend an article calling the actor a violent husband. Trial that the actor had lost.
It has now been six years since the two stars are separated, after being married less than a year. A relationship had begun in 2011, on the set of the film “Rum Express”, a year before the separation of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis . Barely celebrated the wedding, Amber Heard filed for divorce, accusing her husband of verbal and physical abuse under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
