A highly emotional and extensively-viewed trial of the defamation case against Amber Heard by Johnny Depp came to an end after six weeks in a District Court in Fairfax County, Virginia. The trial saw endless skeleton-unearthing from both parties, a list of high-profile witnesses and meme-worthy moments in the courtroom.
The jury, after closing statements from both legal teams last week, took only 13 hours, spread over three days, to deliberate on and deliver their verdict. Even the last moments of the trial turned out to be as dramatic as the rest of the case. Even after the jury came out with the verdict, they were sent back by the judge, Penney Azcarate, because they failed to fill out the damages section of the form, stretching out the nail-biting moment even more.
After the dust settled and the jury had read out their verdict, Depp fans and his legal team celebrated his victory. However, a “heartbroken” Heard was also awarded $2 million in damages. This left many wondering what the jury’s verdict meant.
Jury verdict explained
First, it is important to understand that the trial was not only about the defamation case filed by Depp. Heard’s legal team had filed a counter-lawsuit against Depp as well. Depp had filed for three counts of defamation against Heard and claimed $50million in damages after an op-ed article that Heard wrote in The Washington Post in 2018 on the topic of domestic and sexual abuse. Heard’s team in turn filed a $100million counter-claim against Depp.
The jury ruled in Depp’s favour on all three counts against Heard, establishing that Depp had been defamed by the Aquaman actress in her op-ed. At the same time, the jurors also found that Heard had been defamed by Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, in statements that he gave to the Daily Mail. While Depp won all three counts of the defamation lawsuit, the jury ruled in Heard’s favour on one count in her counter-suit. Thus, the jury found that both Depp and Heard had been defamed.
Depp was awarded $10million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. However, according to Virginia law, punitive damages are capped at $350,000. So, Heard has to pay $10.35 million to Depp in damages.
Heard was also awarded $2million in compensatory damages but the jury did not award her any punitive damages.
What does the verdict mean for Depp and Heard?
As the verdict was read, Depp was absent from the courtroom. He had been spotted posing with fans at a pub in Newcastle, UK, on the day of the verdict. Depp joined the British guitarist Jeff Beck on stage for two of his performances in the UK even before the trial’s verdict was out.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star in his social media statement shared that “the jury gave me my life back”. Since his role as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018, Depp had not been seen in any big movies. He may not be making a return as Jack Sparrow anytime soon, but there are rumours of an upcoming return to the big screen along with an album collaboration with Beck.
Heard’s future seems darker compared to that of her 58-year-old former partner. During the trial, DC Films president Walter Hamada testified that Heard’s role as Mera in Aquaman 2 was reduced due to a lack of chemistry with the film’s leading man Jason Momoa as well as the storyline that does not focus on their romance. The petition for Heard to be completely removed from the movie continues to threaten her career. It is unclear if Heard will contest the verdict which she views as a “setback” for victims of domestic abuse.
