A jury of seven reached a verdict regarding Johnny Depp’s defamation suit against his former wife Amber Heard on Wednesday.
Depp is suing for $50 million in damages over a 2018 opinion-editorial essay, in which Heard said she had become a public figure representing domestic abuse. Although the essay never mentioned Depp by name, his attorneys said it indirectly referred to allegations she made against him during their marriage.
Heard claimed to have been only violent when legitimately defending herself against Depp, or defending her sister; she sued Depp for $100 million. In her countersuit, which was based on statements from Depp’s former attorney to the Daily Mail in 2020, she described his allegations of abuse as a “hoax.”
The jury, which reached its decision on Friday, took approximately 13 hours to deliberate across three days. The high-profile trial, which took place over six weeks in Fairfax County, Virginia and was broadcast across the country, drew much attention from the public.
Defamation claims by public figures in the U.S. are thought to be difficult cases because the plaintiff needs to prove something more than mere negligence.
More updates will be coming soon.
