Johnny Depp Wins Defamation Case Against Ex-Wife Amber Heard, Gets $15 Million

Los Angeles: American actor Johnny Depp on Wednesday won the high-profile defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

The seven-member jury in Fairfax, Virginia began deliberating on this matter on May 27 and ordered Heard to pay Depp $15 million in damages after it came to a conclusion.

They awarded $10 million to the Pirates of The Caribbean Sea Star in compensatory damages while $5 million was awarded in punitive damages in the defamation suit.

But, the punitive damages awarded to Depp was reduced to $350,000 due to the fact that the state has a statutory cap and his total damages amounted to $10.4 million.

The jury also awarded Amber Heard $2 million in compensatory damages.

Earlier, Johnny Depp sued Heard for $50 million after she wrote an op-ed for 'The Washington Post' in 2018 wherein she called her a "public figure representing domestic abuse.

In retaliation, Heard counter sued Depp for USD 100 million in which she claimed that she has endured domestic violence during their 15-month marriage.

Depp was not present at the court when the jury announced its verdict but Heard was present and appeared to be emotional with tears dripping down her eyes.

Depp, in his statement called the verdict his victory. "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," he said.

The actor also claimed that false allegations were levelled against him via the media which included a barrage of hateful content. He went on to say that hatred against him circulated worldwide within a fraction of a second and it made a tremendous impact on his life as well as his career for all the wrong reasons.

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