Jury Awards Johnny Depp $15 Million In Defamation Battle Against Amber Heard
June 1 2022, Published 3:26 p.m. ET
The jury has awarded Johnny Depp $15 million in the defamation battle against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The unanimous verdict was read out loud in the Fairfax County, Virginia, courtroom on Wednesday after 12 hours of deliberations.
Depp will collect $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The jury found Heard's op-ed accusations were malicious and decided that labeling her ex-husband a sexual abuser was defamation.
Heard didn't come out empty-handed. She won her defamation countersuit but was only awarded $2 million.
Depp was not in the courtroom when the verdict was read, but Heard was. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor has been in the United Kingdom since closing arguments ended on Friday.
He played two shows over the weekend and stayed across the pond instead of flying back to Virginia to hear the jury's decision.
"Due to previously scheduled work commitments made before the trial, Mr. Depp will not be physically present for today's 3pm verdict," his team revealed. Instead, Depp "will be watching from the United Kingdom."
In a statement to Radar, the Aquaman actress revealed she was not surprised at her ex-husband's verdict absence.
"Your presence shows where your priorities are. Johnny Depp plays guitar in the UK while Amber Heard waits for a verdict in Virginia. Depp is taking his snickering and lack of seriousness on tour," a spokesperson for Heard told us.
Depp and Heard have been locked in a bitter court battle that has played out in front of the world for the past six weeks. Both have testified that they suffered abuse at the hands of the other.
Depp sued Heard for $50 million over an op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post, in which she described herself as a domestic violence survivor.
The actor claimed her "false" allegations cost him several movie roles, including a $22.5 million contract for Pirates 6. Depp denied ever getting physical with his ex-wife and instead claimed she was the violent one during their relationship.
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Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, alleging he was trying to ruin her reputation. Under oath, the actress sobbed while detailing her allegations of abuse. She also claimed that her then-husband sexually assaulted her with a broken vodka bottle.
The duo tied the knot in the Bahamas on February 3, 2015, but their marriage was short-lived. Heard filed for divorce from Depp after just 15-months of marriage and days after his mother died.
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