Heard will need to pay damages of US$15 million to Depp
The defamation trial that gripped global headlines for six weeks has finally come to an end after a Virginia jury ruled that Amber Heard defamed her ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Depp was awarded US$15 million (SG$20 million) in damages from Heard as a result.
The seven-person jury also ruled in favour of Heard in certain aspects of her countersuit against her former husband and she was awarded US$2 million in damages.
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If you haven’t been keeping up with the riveting case, here’s everything you need to know.
1. What is the relationship between Depp and Heard?
Depp and Heard met in 2011 while they were both filming The Rum Diary. They later got married in February 2015.
While Depp and Heard have said that the beginning of their relationship was wonderful, things quickly took a turn for the worse and the pair finalised their divorce in 2017.
2. Why was Depp suing Heard?
Trouble started brewing between the ex-spouses when Heard referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse” in a newspaper opinion piece she wrote in 2018.
Depp has, since the couple’s divorce in 2017, denied hitting Heard or any other woman and has maintained that she was the one who turned violent in their relationship.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean star sued Heard for US$50 million and argued that she defamed him in this newspaper piece.
3. Why did Heard launch a countersue against Depp?
Heard countersued Depp during the case for US$100 million after one of his lawyers called her accusations a “hoax” in three statements in the press. She claimed that this smeared her name.
4. Why did Depp take the stand?
During the trial, in April, Depp took the stand for two days, saying that he was there because of Heard’s “heinous” and “disturbing” allegations of abuse and that he wanted everyone to know the claims were “not based in any species of truth.”
He insisted that though the pair argued, he never once struck her in any way. He did say that Heard frequently verbally abused him and that she would “strike out” in a physically violent way sometimes.
Images of bruises on Depp’s face were shown as well as scratches on his face that happened during a confrontation with Heard.