A jury ruled Wednesday that Amber Heard was found responsible for defaming Johnny Depp in an op-ed published by The Washington Post, while Depp was convicted against his lawyers for posting to the Daily Mail. A statement from her is responsible, calling her claims a hoax. The jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages and Hurd $2 million.
While the jury found Depp deserved $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, the judge said state law capped punitive damages at $350,000, meaning Depp’s total damages will reach $10.35 million.
In a statement posted on Twitter and Instagram, Hurd said, “The disappointment I feel today is indescribable.” Depp said in a statement posted to Instagram, “The jury gave me my life back.”
The verdict marks the end of a dramatic trial in a civil lawsuit that exposed the star’s troubled marriage.
CBS News
In December 2018, Depp sued Hurd for $50 million in Fairfax County, Virginia Circuit Court over an op-ed in the Washington Post that called herself a “representative of domestic abuse.” public figure”. His lawyers said he was defamed by the article, even though it never mentioned his name.
Hurd countersued for $100 million, alleging that Depp’s lawyers defamed her, calling her abuse allegations a hoax.
The jury informed Judge Penney Azcarate that they had reached a verdict early in the afternoon, but the reading of the verdict was delayed so they could fill in the award amount on the jury form.
CBS News legal writer Jessica Levinson said the mixed verdict showed the jury assessed each of the six statements individually and carefully considered the defamation charge.
“It’s not just a case of, ‘We like Johnny Depp, we don’t like Amber Heard,'” she said, noting that Depp won on all three statements in his lawsuit , while Hurd won a countersuit in one of her three statements.
“I think at the end of the day, the point is the jury finds they all lied,” Levinson said.
Depp said in a statement: “The purpose of bringing this case up is to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Telling the truth is a debt I owe to my children and to all those who have stood by me. Knowing that I have finally achieved this, I owe it to me. It feels so peaceful.”
In her statement, Heard said she was saddened that she lost the case, but “even more saddened that I seem to have lost my right as an American — to speak freely and openly.” She said the decision hindered treatment of women and victims of domestic violence.
After six weeks of disturbing and sometimes vivid testimony, the jury began deliberations on Friday afternoon.
Depp and Hurd both testified twice. The jury also heard numerous recordings of what lawyers said showed violence and saw text messages, including between Depp and actor Paul Bettany, that discussed drug use and contained obscene language.
heard sister testifies Seeing Depp hit her, a friend testified seeing her cuts and bruises.
Supermodel Kate Moss also appeared via video link, adding to the scene as broadcast cameras in the courtroom captured every turn of the increasingly rabid audience as fans took to social media and lined up overnight Wait for the coveted court seat.
Closing arguments were issued on Friday. By the time the court opened for lunch, jurors had gotten their heads from Depp and Heard’s lawyers — and then they had a total of 45 minutes to reach their rebuttal conclusions late Friday afternoon. The case went to a jury later in the day, the final stage of a six-week courtroom drama that lifted the curtain on the star’s troubled marriage.
The jury was instructed to focus not only on whether there was abuse, but also on whether Hurd’s op-ed could be considered defamation in the law. The article itself focused primarily on domestic violence policy issues, but Depp’s lawyers pointed to two paragraphs in the article, as well as a web headline they said defamed Depp.
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