Johnny Depp's Legal Victory in the Defamation Lawsuit.

Johnny Depp had sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she had written for The Washington Post in which she had described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." 
Even though Depp was not named in the article, he alleges it cost him rewarding acting roles. Heard on the other hand countersued her ex-husband for defamation over statements made by his attorney about her abuse claims. Depp sought $50 million in damages and Heard sought $100 million.
After completing the six-week trial, Jury concluded that Amber Heard has defamed Johnny Depp in three separate statements written by her in The Washington Post piece and that Heard was defamed by Johnny’s attorney with one statement he made. 
The jury has awarded Depp a whopping amount of $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million dollars in punitive damages. The jury further awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages. Punitive damages in the state of Virginia are capped at $350,000, so the judge reduced the punitive damages award to that amount. In total, Depp is entitled to $10.35 million. 

Depp was not present in court but released a statement, a part of which said, 

"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. 

False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already travelled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career. 

And six years later, the jury gave me my lifeback. I am truly humbled. 

My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought.

From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.

I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world. I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media. 

I wish to acknowledge the noble work of the Judge, the jurors, the court staff and the Sheriffs who have sacrificed their own time to get to this point, and to my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping me to share the truth.

Veritas numquam perit.
Truth never perishes."
The verdict is a tremendous legal win for Depp but a serious repudiation for Heard.

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