Actor Johnny Depp wins libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard
Published:Wednesday | June 1, 2022 | 2:42 PM
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A jury on Wednesday ruled in favour of actor Johnny Depp in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, vindicating his stance that she fabricated claims that she was abused by him before and during their brief marriage.
The jury also found in favour of Heard, who said she was defamed by Depp's lawyer when he called her abuse allegations a hoax.
Jury members found Depp should be awarded $15 million in damages, while Heard should receive $2 million.
The verdicts bring an end to a televised trial that Depp had hoped would help restore his reputation, though it turned into a spectacle of a vicious marriage.
Fans — overwhelmingly on Depp's side — lined up overnight to grab a seat in the courtroom. Spectators who couldn't get in lined up on the street to cheer Depp and jeer Heard whenever either appeared outside.
Depp sued Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”
His lawyers said he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.
Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.