Jury Sides With Johnny Depp in Defamation Lawsuit Against Amber Heard
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A Virginia jury on Wednesday ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Depp initially filed a $50 million defamation suit against Heard in 2019 over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed where she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." Despite not being named in the article, the actor claimed that the controversy had cost him lucrative roles in the "Fantastic Beasts" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchises. Heard countersued Depp for $100 million after one of his lawyers, Adam Waldman, called her abuse claims a "hoax."
The seven-person jury concluded that Heard's statements against her ex-husband were false and made with "actual malice." Depp was awarded a total of $10.35 million, including $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages. The jury also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages for her countersuit. Both actors published statements on social media after the verdict was revealed.
The Depp-Heard trial was heavily sensationalized by outlets across the spectrum and frequently accumulated more online attention than some of the nation's "most pressing news stories" such as the Roe v Wade leak and Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Left-and center-rated headlines were more likely to accentuate how Depp and Heard were "both" found liable "for defaming each other." Some voices expressed concern that the facts surrounding the six-week trial were "manipulated" by the subjective culture war that took place on social media. Right-rated outlets were more likely to describe the verdict as an absolute victory by Depp over Heard and emphasize how the trial eroded "the legal presumption of innocence against accused men."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Jury Rules in Favor of Johnny Depp in Defamation Lawsuit Against Amber HeardA Virginia jury ruled in favor of actor Johnny Depp in his case against Amber Heard, closing a widely watched and emotional trial centered on defamation and abuse accusations between the former couple.
The seven-member jury found Mr. Depp proved all three counts of defamation against his former spouse in an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018, awarding him $15 million. The jury also found Ms. Heard was able to prove one of three counts of defamation against Mr. Depp, based on statements made by one of his attorneys. The jury awarded...
From the Left
Jury finds both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard liable for defaming each other, awards millions to bothJurors 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...
From the Right
Verdict: Johnny Depp wins defamation case against Amber HeardJohnny Depp won all three counts of his bombshell defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard on Wednesday after a Virginia jury substantiated the claim that his ex-wife sullied his reputation and damaged his career when she wrote about becoming a “public figure representing domestic abuse” following the couple’s split.
The panel of seven in Fairfax awarded the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star a total of $10.35 million, including $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages, after deliberating for about 13 hours.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m...
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