In the defamation trial between Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, the jury largely sided with Depp – but also agreed with Heard on some points. The seven jurors told Judge Penney Azcarate on Wednesday in court in Fairfax County, Virginia. Previously, the return of the verdict was delayed because the jury failed to enter what it deemed appropriate damages on the appropriate form.
Dressed all in black, Heard followed the verdict in court, Depp did not show up. Numerous onlookers and fans, especially Depp, had gathered in front of the court, who broke out in cheers after the verdict and shouted “Johnny, Johnny”.
The jury found each guilty of defamation of the other. However, the jury largely sided with Depp. They awarded Depp $15 million in damages, of which $5 million is said to be punitive for Heard. Heard was awarded $2 million in damages, but $0 as a punitive measure for Depp.
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In their closing arguments on Friday, the lawyers for both sides once again made serious allegations of sexual abuse, physical violence, lies and drug excesses – and did everything they could to get the seven members of the jury on their side.
Shocking cell phone videos, audio recordings of the most horrific insults and photos of bruises were presented in court in Fairfax County, Virginia, and broadcast live via cameras around the world. Judge Penney Azcarate reminded the seven jurors to come to a unanimous conclusion.
“There is a victim of domestic violence in this courtroom, but that’s not Ms. Heard,” Depp defense attorney Camille Vasquez said in her closing argument. “Rather, Ms. Heard is the perpetrator and Mr. Depp is the abused.” Heard told the court exactly what she felt the jury needed to hear in order to convict Depp of an “abuser and rapist,” Vasquez said. She constantly lied and manipulated alleged injuries on photos so that she could pretend to be the victim. In addition, she admitted in audio recordings that she had become violent in an argument with Depp and had hit him.
Heard’s lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn, in turn, drew a picture of Depp as an angry, aggressive man who had become a “monster” mainly under the influence of alcohol and drugs. He shared a cell phone video taken by Heard of the Pirates of the Caribbean star banging on kitchen cabinets. He read an SMS allegedly written by Depp with shocking insults, such as Heard’s “rotting corpse”.
“Those words are a window into the heart and soul of America’s favorite pirate,” Rottenborn scoffed. “This is the real Johnny Depp.” There is “overwhelming evidence of abuse,” the attorney said. “Mr Depp just can’t prove he didn’t abuse Amber at least once.” The actress had described more than a dozen incidents of alleged violence by Depp on the witness stand. A verdict against Heard would be a devastating message for abuse victims around the world, Rottenborn said.
Depp acknowledged the dispute
Depp’s attorney Benjamin Chew, in turn, portrayed the Hollywood actor as a respected man whose life and career had been destroyed by Heard’s “malicious lies.” At the beginning of the trial, Depp said on the witness stand that he wanted to bring “the truth” to light and restore his reputation. The actor admitted that there had been arguments in their relationship. “But I never got to the point of hitting Miss Heard in any way, nor have I ever hit a woman in my life,” Depp said under oath.
In his civil lawsuit, Depp alleges the actress in a 2018 Washington Post published comment on domestic violence to have made false statements. This would have damaged his reputation. Depp demanded 50 million dollars (a good 46 million euros) in damages for defamation. Heard counterclaimed $100 million. She claimed that Depp’s ex-lawyer Adam Waldman had damaged her reputation with a smear campaign.
The bitter War of the Roses has been raging for years. Heard filed for divorce in 2016 after just 15 months of marriage. She accused the Hollywood star of domestic violence. Two years ago, Depp was in London with a lawsuit against the tabloid Sun suffer a defeat. It was about an article alleging that Depp physically abused Heard as a wife beater. After a trial with fierce allegations, the High Court ultimately dismissed the lawsuit.