Johnny Depp has triumphed in his defamation case against Amber Heard – but not everyone
is happy about it.
For close to two months, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were embroiled in a highly publicized
defamation case.
The legal proceedings came to be after Johnny Depp sued the "Aquaman" star, his ex-wife,
for defamation concerning her 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post.
In the article, Heard opened up about how she, quote, "became a public figure representing
domestic abuse," a statement which seemingly referred to her divorce from Depp in 2016.
A year after the article was released, Depp filed his $50 million defamation suit against
Heard.
In response to Depp's filing, Heard countersued the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor for $100
million, also for defamation, over statements that had previously been made against her
by Depp's former attorney Adam Waldman.
On April 11th, the controversial trial began and featured testimonies from Heard, Depp,
family members, industry peers, and medical professionals.
After a harrowing few weeks that took the internet by storm, the seven-person jury finally
reached a verdict on June 1.
After weeks of testimony and cross-examination, the jury concluded in favor of Johnny Depp.
In the verdict, the jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million
in punitive damages.
Several statements in the article, including the statement that she had become a "public
figure representing domestic abuse," were unanimously found by a seven-person jury to
be defamatory with malicious intent.
However, Heard did win a small victory in her own countersuit after the jury awarded
her $2 million in compensatory damages over one statement from Depp's former attorney,
who represented Depp during his UK-based lawsuit against British tabloid The Sun.
Shortly after the verdict was announced, Heard released a statement reacting to the verdict.
It read in part,
"The disappointment I feel today is beyond words.
I'm heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate
power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband."
Heard wasn't the only person that was disappointed with the jury's verdict.
One fan wrote on social media,
"The irony of a woman being sued by a rich, abusive, powerful man, for writing about how
rich, abusive, powerful men silence women.
This case really proved the points in Amber's op-ed."
Another user tweeted about potential effects of the verdict, writing,
"This is devastating news for abuse victims and for freedom of speech.
the wide-reaching implications of this verdict are clear: abuse victims cannot have a voice.
they cannot speak of their experiences, EVEN WITHOUT NAMING THEIR ABUSER.
disgusting."
While Heard expressed disappointment over the jury's decision, Depp said that the outcome
of the trial gave him his life back.
In a statement released after the verdict, Depp said,
"From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless
of the outcome.
Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained
steadfast in their support of me."
Since the jury announced the verdict of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation case,
fans and advocates for both actors have been in a frenzy on social media.
From some praising the verdict to others slamming the decision, platforms like Twitter and TikTok
have become a battleground for Heard and Depp supporters.
However, fans haven't been the only ones to share their opinion on the polarizing case
results.
Amongst the array of comments and tweets, some of Depp and Heard's industry peers have
also joined the tense conversation.
Former "The Talk" host, Sharon Osbourne, revealed that she was shocked by the verdict during
an appearance on Piers Morgan's talk show.
"Wow, it wasn't what I was expecting," she said.
"I mean, I wanted Johnny to win but I wasn't expecting him to."
In a statement on Instagram, comedian Amy Schumer seemingly sent support to Heard by
posting a quote by Gloria Steinem.
She shared,
"Any woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned that the armies
of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke... she will need her sisterhood."
Only time will determine how the dust truly settles.
For now, not even a verdict seems to be settling the online debate about which side deserved
to win.
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