US jury hands Johnny Depp victory, backs Amber Heard counterclaim

By Michael Hernandezx

WASHINGTON (AA) - A US jury in the state of Virginia handed actor Johnny Depp a court victory, finding that he was the victim of defamation from ex-wife Amber Heard in a 2018 op-ed.

But it also supported the actress' countersuit.

The jury awarded Depp $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages but the amount of punitive damages is capped at $350,000 under state law, giving the actor a $10.35 million settlement.

The jury also awarded $2 million to Heard.

Depp lauded the decision, saying the jury “gave me my life back.”

“I am truly humbled,” he said in a statement. “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. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”

Depp had sued for $50 million but Heard countersued for $100 million based on allegations that the 58-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star defamed her when he said her claims of abuse were false.

Depp was not present in the courtroom but his legal team appeared overjoyed by the verdict.

The trial had garnered global attention and became fodder on social media.

Scores of fans, mostly Depp’s, had gathered at the Fairfax County Circuit Court every day, some with the intent of securing a hard-sought courtroom seat as others participated in displays of fanfare outside.

Heard wrote a 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post newspaper in which she claimed that "two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out." The article did not name Depp but was published two years after Heard filed for divorce.

Heard said she was "heartbroken" by the verdict shortly after it was read aloud.

"I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously," she said in a statement on her Twitter account.

"I am sad that I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American -- to speak freely and openly," she added.