The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial has come to an end. After a six week trial that captivated the world, seven members of the jury in the Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom deliberated for three days, unanimously deciding that Amber Heard defamed Johnny Depp on all 3 counts, saying he should be awarded $15 million. The jury also found in favor of Heard’s countersuit on one count, saying she should receive $2 million. The verdict was read in front of a packed courtroom, with news helicopters flying over head and clusters of fans outside.
 

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When 3pm hit, Judge Penney Azcarat sent the jurors back to the jury room after noticing they did not fill out the compensatory damages section in the special verdict. While it added an extra layer of suspense, it signaled that someone had won the case.

Heard was present in court for the reading of the verdict while Depp watched from the UK. A source close to the actor told TMZ, “Due to previously scheduled work commitments made before the trial, Mr. Depp will not be physically present for today’s 3 PM verdict and will be watching from the United Kingdom.”

Since closing arguemnts ended, Depp has been performing in the UK with Jeff Beck which has sparked mixed emotions on social media. Heard’s team took the opportunity to call the actor out on his “lack of seriousness.” A rep for the Aquaman actress told TMZ, “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.”

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It all started over a 2018 opinion-editorial essay in The Washington Post by Heard titled “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” The essay never mentioned Depp by name but his attorneys believed it referred to allegations she made against him during their 2016 divorce. Depp’s team argued that he never once hit Amber during the relationship and that he was the real victim of domestic violence.

Chilling voice recordings from both sides were played to the court, but perhaps the most damning was a recording of Heard admitting to hitting him before saying, “Tell the world, Johnny, tell them, ‘Johnny Depp, I, a man, I’m a victim too of domestic violence. And see how many people believe you.”

Heard countersued for $100 million, focusing on three statements made by Depp’s former attorney Adam Waldman in 2020 to the Daily Mail where he called her allegations a “hoax.” The actress’ legal team hired expert witnesses to testify on how the statements affected the trajectory of her career, like Kathryn Arnold, whose remarks went viral after she compared Heard to Zendaya, Gal Gadot, Ana de Armas, and Chris Pine. 

The verdict comes after an online petition to remove Heard from Aquaman 2 reached 4.4 million signatures, with the goal being 4.5 million.