Jury finds both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard liable for defaming each other, awards millions to both

Jurors found both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard liable for defamation against each other in a verdict reached Wednesday.

They awarded Depp $15 million in damages, finding that Heard defamed him when she described herself as a victim of domestic violence in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. The jury found that Heard's statements were false and made with "actual malice" against her ex-husband, and decided on $10 million in compensatory damages and another $5 million in punitive damages. Judge Penney Azcarate, who is overseeing the case, lowered the punitive damages to $350,000 in accordance with Virginia law.

The jury also found Depp liable for defamation against Heard when one of his attorneys claimed her allegations of sexual abuse were a "hoax." They awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages and $0 in punitive damages.