FALLS CHURCH, Va. - Johnny Depp and Amber Heard both won, in part, their defamation lawsuits, a jury announced on Wednesday after deliberating for about 12 hours over three days.After hearing weeks of testimony — including hours from both Depp and Heard themselves — the jury’s stunning decision found both defamation suits credible and awarded both actors millions of dollars in damages.
Heard is to pay Depp $15 million, and Depp is to pay Heard $2 million.The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages, which is compensation for libel, and $5 million in punitive damages, which is the penalty for libel.
Heard's $2 million was compensatory damages. The six-week-long trial centered on whether Heard defamed her ex-husband in a 2018 newspaper op-ed in which she referenced herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse." Depp sued for $50 million in damages, saying that, although the piece didn’t name him specifically, it was a clear enough reference to him to damage his reputation and cost him lucrative movie roles.
Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming Depp and his former lawyer conspired to defame her by calling her abuse claims a hoax.Depp had to prove not only that he never assaulted Heard, but that Heard’s article — which focused primarily on public policy related to domestic violence — defamed him.