Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s case is perhaps one of the most publicized divorces in Hollywood history. In June 2022, a jury in Fairfax County, Virginia, ruled overwhelmingly in favor of Johnny Depp in his high-profile defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The case was televised across six weeks and captivated global audiences and sparked widespread debate surrounding defamation law, public opinion, and domestic abuse allegations.
What happened between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp that led to the case?
Johnny Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard because of a 2018 opinion piece she wrote in the The Washington Post, in which she had described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” While she did not specifically mention Depp in the opinion piece, Depp had presented the argument that her conversation was directly leading to the domestic abuse allegations that she had brought up during their 2016 divorce case.He made claims in the defamation lawsuit that Heard’s comments and the false implications and accusations have severely harmed his personal reputation and cost him acting roles in Hollywood, which included being dropped from major film franchises, such as the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise. At the time, he had filed a defamation lawsuit of USD 50 million, to which Heard had filed a countersuit of USD 100 million, alleging that statements made by Depp’s former lawyer, Adam Waldman, who called her abuse claims, a “hoax,” defamed her.
More about the 6-week-long trial and verdict that followed Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that the trial itself went on for 6 weeks. Though on June 1, 2022, after deliberating for roughly 12 hours across three days, the seven-person jury delivered its verdict in favor of Depp. They held Heard liable on all of the three counts of defamation, ruling that her statements were false, made with “actual malice,” and intended to defame Depp. He was awarded USD 10 million in compensatory damages and an additional USD 5 million in other punitive damages. Due to Virginia state caps on punitive damages, the judge reduced that portion to USD 350,000, bringing his total to USD 10.35 million.Depp was also found liable in one of the three counts in Heard’s countersuit and was made to pay Heard USD 2 million out of the original amount of USD 100 million that the actress had filed the case under.Later on, the two made deals outside of the courtroom, and Heard agreed to pay Depp $1 million to resolve the litigation, funded entirely by her insurance provider.
Johnny Depp posted about the defamation case win
Depp shared an Instagram post after the official verdict was served, writing, “Speaking the truth was what I owed to my children and those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”He added, “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… And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”
Amber Heard’s post about the case verdict
Following the verdict, the ‘Aquaman’ actress also issued her own statement on her social media channels. She wrote, “The disappointment I feel today is 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. 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.”On the work front, since the publicized case, Heard has been staying in Spain with her children, living away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. Whereas Depp has formally entered the acting market and is slated to appear in ‘Ebenezer.’
