Johnny Depp Releases First Official Statement After Amber Heard Defamation Trial Verdict

Johnny Depp thanked the jury in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard for giving “me my life back” in his first statement since the verdict. On Wednesday, the jury awarded him $15 million, agreeing with his claims that he was defamed by her claims in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed that she was the victim of domestic violence. The jury only agreed with Heard’s claim that she was defamed by Depp’s attorney, awarding her $2 million.

“Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye,” Depp’s statement reads. “False, very serious, and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.”

Depp was “truly humbled” Wednesday after the jury gave him “my life back,” he said. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor said he brought the case forward after “considerable thought” and his goal had always been 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 continued, before going on to thank fans for their support around the world. “I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up,” he wrote. “I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media.”

Depp also acknowledged the judge, jury, and court staff who “sacrificed their own time to get to this point” and thanked his legal team. “The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun,” he said. Depp ended the statement with the Latin phrase “Veritas numquam perit,” meaning, “Truth never perishes.”

In 2019, Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard after her Washington Post op-ed was published. Heard later field a $100 million counter-suit, alleging Depp defamed her by claiming her allegations were a hoax. They both claimed each other’s allegations hurt their movie careers. The trial finally began in late April. The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, although the judge later lowered the punitive damages to $350,000 in accordance with Virginia’s cap. Heard was awarded $2 million because the jury only agreed with one of her defamation claims.

In her own response to the verdict, Heard said the disappointment she felt is “beyond words.” She continued, “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.”