Johnny Depp, the heart of the film “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Aquaman” star Amber Heard has been the highlight of the news since the trial began on April 11, 2022.
Depp, 58, married Amber, 35, after separating from his 14 years of marriage to Venessa Paradis. Amber and Depp separated after less than two years of their marriage.
When she filed for divorce, that was the first time she publicly accused Johnny Depp of domestic abuse. She got the settlement money of 7 million and pledged to donate it to the American Civil Liberties Union. This was not the end of the negative coverage both of them got.
Before this trial began in 2022, Depp filed a Libel Lawsuit (a written statement that wrongly accuses someone of something, and which is therefore against the law) against the use of the word “wife-beater” in a British Tabloid The Sun which got rejected.
After an unsuccessful attempt to appeal the verdict, the entire case was rejected by the U.K. Court.
These led to a lot of backlashes and rejections in Johnny Depp’s career which led him to resign from the movie “The Fantastic Beasts 3” at the Warner Bros studio’s request.
In 2018, Heard wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post said, “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced wrath of our culture. That has to change.” her statement was indirectly indicated towards Johnny Depp.
Hence, Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against Amber worth $50 million. In 2019. The lawsuit stated her accusations as ‘categorically and demonstratively’ false. This lawsuit was also based on a suspicion of Amber domestically abusing her former partner.
Heard, not taking a step back, counterclaimed $100 million of her own from the lawsuit. Despite Amber’s efforts to shift the case to California, the case was heard in Virginia.
After several weeks of a prolonged trial with witnesses Actors Paul Bettany and Ellen Barkin, SpaceX boss Elon Musk and James Franco, this case became the talk of the town.
Johnny Depp won the case after six weeks of trial, both the parties were liable for defamation against each other but Depp was awarded the compensation more than Heard, making him win the case.
Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory and 5million dollars in punitive damages. Meanwhile Amber was only awarded $2 million dollars in compensatory damages.
(Punitive damages were capped up to $350,000, as per the limit in the state of Virginia).
The fans of Depp are celebrating as their favorite star maintained his composure throughout the case and ultimately won the case.
Read Also : Depp Wins Defamation Suit Against Heard; Awarded $15 Million By Jury
