Johnny Depp’s highly publicized lawsuit against Amber Heard ended in Depp’s favor, but it did not result in a real “win” for either side. On Wednesday, the jury found in favor of Depp, but it also found in favor of Heard, deciding that both stars had defamed each other throughout this process. Heard will be awarded $2 million in damages, according to a report by The Associated Press.
Depp sued Heard for $50 million in damages, citing the lost income from projects like Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, among others. He was not given this amount – instead, Heard was ordered to pay Depp $10 million. However, the jury also agreed with Heard’s counterclaim that Depp had commited libel against her when one of his lawyers called her allegations a “hoax” in a public interview. While Heard had initially requested $100 million in damages, the jury only awarded her $2 million.
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The end result is that Depp is up $8 million, but it seems the whole world is treating this like a victory for Depp overall. Heard herself seemed to say as much in her first public statement when the trial was over.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” Heard wrote. “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband. 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.”
“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK,” Heard continued. “I’m sad 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.”
Depp and Heard both accused each other of domestic abuse around the time their marriage ended in 2016, but they ultimately settled their divorce on amicable terms – at least in the public eye. This lawsuit stems from an op-ed Heard wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, which was about the cultural and political factors surrounding domestic violence. It was framed around the context of Heard’s own marriage, and since Depp had been her only spouse, he argued that it unduly damaged his career and reputation.
Heard and Depp both maintain that they were not violent towards each other, and many fans have made up their minds one way or another on either side. Still, most agree that this lawsuit was a net loss for both actors, whose reputations have suffered for this public spectacle.
