Fairfax, United States:
A US jury ruled Wednesday that actress Amber Heard had made defamatory claims about abuse of her ex-husband Johnny Depp and awarded him $15 million in damages.
The seven-member jury in Virginia found that a 2018 article written by Heard about the “sexual assault” she had suffered was defamatory of Depp and written with malicious intent, causing her to commit defamation.
Earlier today, the jury reached a verdict in the high-profile defamation case.
The seven-member Virginia jury deliberated for approximately 13 hours in Fairfax County Circuit Court near the US capital for three days.
Closing arguments in the case were held Friday at the conclusion of a six-week trial based on domestic violence claims and counterclaims between the Hollywood celebrities.
Depp, 58, filed a lawsuit against Heard over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018, in which she described herself as a “public figure who represents domestic violence.”
Texas-born Heard, who starred in “Aquaman,” didn’t name Depp in the play, but he sued her for suggesting he was a domestic abuser and is seeking $50 million in damages.
Heard, 36, filed a counterclaim for $100 million, saying she was defamed by statements by Depp’s attorney, Adam Waldman, who told the Daily Mail that her abuse allegations were a “hoax.”
The jury has worked meticulously on the basis of a special judgment form that contains dozens of questions.
The eight-page judgment form contained 24 questions related to Depp’s lawsuit against Heard and 18 questions related to her counterclaim against him.
Both had to prove the statements were defamatory, and to get compensatory or punitive damages, the jury had to find that they were made with genuine malice—knowing they were false or with “reckless disregard” whether they were false or not.
Depp flew to England over Memorial Day weekend and performed at Jeff Beck concerts in Sheffield on Sunday and at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Depp, a guitarist, has his own band, the Hollywood Vampires, with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.
“Your presence shows where your priorities lie,” Heard’s spokesman said in a statement.
“Johnny Depp plays guitar in the UK while Amber Heard awaits a ruling in Virginia. Depp takes his chuckle and lack of seriousness with him on tour.”
Dozens of witnesses testified at the trial, including bodyguards, Hollywood executives, agents, entertainment industry experts, doctors, friends and relatives.
Depp and Heard sat on the witness stand every day during the televised trial, attended by hundreds of fans of the ‘Pirates’ star and accompanied by a #JusticeForJohnnyDepp campaign on social media.
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