FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) 鈥� A jury on Wednesday ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his , vindicating his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage.
The jury also found in favor of Heard, who said she was defamed by Depp鈥檚 lawyer when he called her abuse allegations a hoax.
Jury members found Depp should be awarded $10.35 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. body. Throughout the trial, fans 鈥� overwhelmingly on Depp鈥檚 side 鈥� lined up overnight for coveted courtroom seats. Spectators who couldn鈥檛 get in gathered 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 鈥渁 public figure representing domestic abuse.鈥� His lawyers said he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.
While the case was ostensibly about libel, most of the testimony focused on whether Heard had been physically and sexually abused, as she claimed. , including a fight in Australia 鈥� where Depp was shooting a 鈥淧irates of the Caribbean鈥� sequel 鈥� in which Depp lost the tip of his middle finger and Heard said she was sexually assaulted with a liquor bottle.
and that she was the abuser, though Heard鈥檚 attorneys highlighted years-old text messages Depp sent apologizing to Heard for his behavior as well as profane texts he sent to a friend in which Depp said he wanted to kill Heard and defile her dead body.
In some ways, the trial was a replay of a lawsuit Depp filed in the United Kingdom against a British tabloid after he was described as a 鈥渨ife beater.鈥� The judge in that case ruled in the newspaper鈥檚 favor after finding that Heard was telling the truth in her descriptions of abuse.
In the Virginia case, Depp had to prove not only that he never assaulted Heard, but that Heard鈥檚 article 鈥� which focused primarily on public policy related to domestic violence 鈥� defamed him. He also had to prove that Heard wrote the article with actual malice. And to claim damages he had to prove that her article caused the damage to his reputation as opposed to any number of articles before and after Heard鈥檚 piece that detailed the allegations against him.
Depp, in his final testimony to the jury, said the trial gave him a chance to clear his name in a way that he the U.K trial never allowed.
鈥淣o matter what happens, I did get here and I did tell the truth and I have spoken up for what I鈥檝e been carrying on my back, reluctantly, for six years.鈥� Depp said.
Heard, on the other hand, led by Depp.
鈥淛ohnny promised me 鈥� promised me 鈥� that he鈥檇 ruin my life, that he鈥檇 ruin my career. He鈥檇 take my life from me,鈥� Heard said in her final testimony.
The case captivated millions through its gavel-to-gave television coverage and impassioned followers on social media who dissected everything from the actors鈥� mannerisms to the possible symbolism of what they were wearing. Both performers emerge from the trial with reputations in tatters with unclear prospects for their careers.
Eric Rose, a crisis management and communications expert in Los Angeles, called the trial a 鈥渃lassic murder-suicide.鈥�
鈥淔rom a reputation management perspective, there can be no winners,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e bloodied each other up. It becomes more difficult now for studios to hire either actor because you鈥檙e potentially alienating a large segment of your audience who may not like the fact that you have retained either Johnny or Amber for a specific project because feelings are so strong now.鈥�
Depp, a three-time best actor Oscar nominee, had until recent years been a bankable star. His turn as Capt. Jack Sparrow in the 鈥淧irates of the Caribbean鈥� film helped turn it into a global franchise, but he鈥檚 lost that role. (Heard and Depp鈥檚 teams each blame the other.) He was also replaced as the title character in the third 鈥淔antastic Beasts鈥� spin-off film, 鈥淭he Crimes of Grindelwald.鈥�
Despite testimony at the trial that he could be violent, abusive and out of control, Depp received a standing ovation Tuesday night in London after performing for about 40 minutes with Jeff Beck at the Royal Albert Hall. He has previously toured with Joe Perry and Alice Cooper as the group Hollywood Vampires.
Heard鈥檚 acting career has been more modest, and her only two upcoming roles are in a small film and the upcoming 鈥淎quaman鈥� sequel due out next year.
Depp鈥檚 lawyers fought to keep the case in Virginia, in part because state law provided some legal advantages compared with California, where the two reside. A judge ruled that Virginia was an acceptable forum for the case because The Washington Post鈥檚 printing presses and online servers are in the county.
Denise Lavoie, The Associated Press
