This is the end of the saga between movie stars and ex-spouses Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The jury delivered its verdict this Wednesday, June 1, 2022, closing the spectacular trial held in Fairfax, Virginia, near Washington (USA). The actress Amber Heard was found guilty of defamation against Johnny Depp and is ordered to pay 15 million dollars in damages, to the one who had been her husband.
This is far from the 50 million dollars claimed by Johnny Depp. But the actor of the film “Pirate of the Caribbean” will be satisfied to wash (a little) his honor after filing a lawsuit against his ex-wife for having declared in 2018 to the Washington Post to have been a victim of domestic violence.
Johnny Depp will have to pay Amber Heard $ 2 million for defamation also for comments made by his lawyer Adam Waldman, in the columns of “Daily Mail” in 2020, according to which Amber Heard was lying in her allegations of sexual violence.
“The jury gave me back to life,” Johnny Depp rejoiced after the verdict. Amber Heard said she was “devastated” and says she feels “inexpressible disappointment” after the unfavorable result. “I’m even more disappointed by what this verdict means for other women. It’s a step backwards. It sets us back to a time when a woman who spoke out and expressed herself could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women should be taken seriously,” wrote the Aquaman actress on Twitter, who was expecting $100 million after the verdict.
For the jury, Amber Heard did defame Johnny Depp by presenting herself as a victim of domestic violence.
This deliberation was spread over three days while the legal battle began two years ago. The two Hollywood stars gave it their all as if they were on a film set, not hesitating to expose the most intimate details of their lives during the hearings broadcast on television.
Amber Heard claimed to have been raped and abused by Johnny Depp, whom she described as a “monster” when he is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If he admitted having the habit of consuming alcohol, Johnny Depp related that he had never hit a woman in his life. The father of Lilly Rose Depp indicated that he was the victim, stressing that he was repeatedly assaulted by Amber Heard.
The 58-year-old actor has been able to count on the support of several famous people, including his ex-girlfriends Vanessa Paradis and Kate Moss, who testified on his behalf, as well as the (famous) comedian Chris Rock. The latter said in a concert recently that we must believe all women except Amber Heard. Celhi who had been elected twice the sexiest man in the world was also supported by his fans and many users of the web who called Amber Heard a bad actress.
This time is the right one for Johnny Depp, who had already lost a defamation lawsuit in London in 2020 against the British tabloid “The Sun”, which had called him an “abusive husband.”
Johnny Depp, 58, and Amber Heard, 36, got married in 2015 before separating a year later and divorcing in 2017.
Both stars said during their trial that they wanted to resume their lifestyle.
Winner of the trial, Johnny Depp should therefore bounce back after this epilogue by multiplying the roles in films as was the case before. Not sure it will be the case of Amber Heard whose image has been further damaged.
Source L’OBS, CI BBC, Getty Images