Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard Defamation Case Verdict Explained
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have been making headlines for a while now for their defamation lawsuit against each other. Over the last few weeks, the duo has accused each other of several things including sexual assault, and physical violence. And after their weeks-long trial and days of jury deliberation, the final verdict is here. As per the verdict, the jury decided that Heard is liable for defaming her ex-husband in her 2018 op-ed that was published in the Washington Post. The Aquaman actress was ordered to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. On the other hand, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor was held liable for a statement made by his lawyer where he called the actress’ allegation of domestic violence a hoax. This is why Amber was awarded $2 million. And while everyone is celebrating this as actor Johnny Depp’s win, the fact is that that is not the case. The actor did not win the defamation case. Before you go ahead and celebrate this, here’s a breakdown of the verdict for you to understand what it means.
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Johnny Depp had sued Amber Heard for defamation and sought $50 million while the actress had countersued her ex-husband and sought $100 million in damages. The first thing to note is that neither of them was able to prove all the defamation charges against each other and hence neither one of them was awarded the full amount that they were seeking. The jury observed that Amber Heard had defamed her ex-husband in 3 separate statements while Johnny Depp had defamed the actress with a statement made by his attorney. And this is why the actor was awarded $15 million while the actress got $2 million.
This indicates that neither party won the case and that both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were found guilty of defamation. So, all those considering this a victory for the Pirates of the Caribbean actor need to stop. Amber may not have been able to provide adequate evidence of abuse and justify her defamation charges against the actor but she did prove one count of defamation and was hence awarded a small win. Depp may have been awarded a much much higher amount but that does not mean that he won the case because even he could not justify all charges and the amount he sought in damages. Moreover, we must accept that both the actors were in a mutually abusive relationship. If I were to put it in simple words, the verdict was a mixed one and served justice to both the actor as the jury and judge deemed fit.
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Also Read: Johnny Depp Thanks The Jurors For Giving His Life Back, While Amber Heard Expresses “Disappointment” In The Verdict
For the uninitiated, Johnny Depp had sued Amber Heard for writing an op-ed for the Washington Post in 2018 where she called herself a public figure representing domestic abuse. While the actress did not name the actor, she hinted that she suffered domestic violence at the hands of her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor sued his ex-wife for the defamatory op-ed but the actress countersued him for defamatory statements made by his attorney calling her domestic abuse allegations a “hoax”. And now both the actors have been found liable for defamation.
After Weeks Of Trial, The Jury Finds Both Amber Heard And Johnny Depp Guilty Of Defaming
