Johny Depp has won the defamation lawsuit against his ex wife Amber Heard.
He won in the court of public opinion. He won in the court of law. Justice has been served and now he can finally have his name and reputation.
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American Actor Johnny Depp has won his defamation lawsuit against his ex wife Amber Heard who he sued for defamation against domestic violence.
The judgement was pronounced today in favor of Johnny Depp after the jury found her guilty of domestic violence and defamation.
In May 2016, Heard files for divorce and is granted a temporary restraining order against him.Heard claims that Depp had thrown a phone at her, leaving her bruised.“During the entirety of our relationship, Johnny Depp has been verbally and physically abusive to me,”
Heard says in a sworn declaration. “He has a short fuse. He is often paranoid and his temper is exceptionally scary for me.” She writes she was living “in fear that Johnny will return to [our house] unannounced to terrorize me, physically and emotionally.”
In 2017 The couple’s divorce is finalized.
2018 Amber Heard writes the op-ed for The Washington Post, “I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.”
In 2019 Depp sues Heard for defamation, claiming the Post article was a ruse for Heard to gin up positive press for herself. Depp also claims she is not the victim of domestic violence but instead the perpetrator.Depp seeks $50 million in damages.
Depp’s ex-partner Paradis defends Depp by submitting a statement saying the actor “is the farthest thing” from a violent person. Depp brings forward claims that Amber Heard had affairs with businessman Elon Musk and actor James Franco.
He also claims Heard put her own fecal matter in their bed and was physically violent toward him.In November, a judge sides with The Sun.
Amber Heard countersues Depp for $100 million.
Depp claims that Heard would instigate arguments and escalate their feuds. At the end of his four-day testimony, when asked what he had lost due to Heard’s op-ed in the Post, Depp says, “Nothing less than everything.”
During the first day of her testimony on May 4, Amber Heard paints a picture of a man who oscillated between active addiction and sobriety, which she said made it hard to continue the relationship.
Amber Heard alleges that while on a vacation with Depp in May 2013, he did a “cavity search” on her while looking for his cocaine. She describes other instances of alleged abuse, including the time Depp allegedly first hit her.
On May 25, Depp returns to the stand. “It’s insane to hear heinous accusations of violence, sexual violence, that she’s attributed to me, that she’s accused me of,” Depp says, when asked about what it had been like to listen to Heard’s testimony.
“I don’t think anyone enjoys having to split themselves open and tell the truth, but there are times when one simply has to because it’s gotten out of control. Horrible. Ridiculous. Humiliating. Ludicrous. Painful. Savage. Unimaginably brutal. Cruel. Um, and all false. All false .
Amber Heard also returns to the stand on May 26 before closing arguments. She says she has been inundated with death threats since the start of the trial.
“Protecting the secret that I did, for as long as I did, has taken enough of my voice,” Amber Heard says. “Johnny has taken enough of my voice and the right to tell my story. I have the right to say what happened … I have the right as an American to talk about what happened to me.
On June 1, the jury reaches a verdict. The jury unanimously finds that Heard defamed Depp, awarding him $5 million in punitive damages and $10 million in compensatory damages.
Following the verdict, Depp says “the jury gave me my life back.”“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” his statement reads.
“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.”
Heard says she she is “heartbroken” by the decision.I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women,” her statement reads. “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.”
