Amber Heard and Johnny Depp were found guilty of defamation in their lawsuits against each other on Wednesday, with the jury awarding compensation to both.
Depp is suing Hurd, his ex-wife, for defamation in connection with a 2018 publication she wrote for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic violence.”
Although Depp is not mentioned in the article, he claims that it costs him lucrative acting roles. Hurd has filed a counterclaim against her ex-husband for defamation over Depp’s lawyer’s statements about her allegations of abuse.
The jury began deliberations on May 27 after hearing more than 100 hours of witness testimony.
Weighing the lawsuit, the jury found that the two exes had slandered each other and sentenced Depp $ 10 million in damages and $ 5 million in criminal damages. Hurd was awarded $ 2 million in damages and no punitive damages. (Virginia’s criminal damages are limited to $ 350,000, so the judge reduced Depp’s criminal damages sentence to that amount.)
Depp demanded $ 50 million in damages and Hurd demanded $ 100 million.
Read their full reactions to the sentence below.
STATEMENT BY JOHNNY DEPT
“Six years ago, my life, the lives of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and the lives of the people who supported and believed in me for many, many years were changed forever.
All in the blink of an eye.
False, very serious and criminal accusations have been leveled against me in the media, which has led to an endless stream of hateful content, although no charges have ever been leveled against me. He had already traveled the world twice in a nanosecond and had a seismic impact on my life and career.
And six years later, the jury brought my life back. I’m really humble.
My decision to continue this work, knowing very well the height of the legal obstacles I would face and the inevitable world spectacle in my life, was made only after careful consideration.
From the very beginning, the purpose of this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. To tell the truth was something I owed to my children and to all those who remained steadfast in their support for me. I feel calm knowing that I have finally achieved it.
I am and have been struck by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness of the world. I hope that my quest to tell the truth will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those who support them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocence until proven guilty, both in court and in the media.
I want to acknowledge the noble work of the judge, jurors, court staff and sheriffs who sacrificed their own time to get to this point, as well as my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an outstanding job of helping me share the truth. .
The best is yet to come, and a new chapter has finally begun.
Veritas numquam perit.
The truth never dies. “
STATEMENT BY AMBER HURD
“The disappointment I feel today is indescribable. My heart is broken that the mountain of evidence has not yet been enough to confront the disproportionate power, influence and influence of my ex-husband.
I am even more disappointed with what this sentence means to other women. This is a failure. It takes the clock back to a time when a woman who talks and talks can be publicly embarrassed and humiliated. This rejects the idea that violence against women must be taken seriously.
I believe that Johnny’s lawyers managed to get the jury to ignore the key issue of freedom of speech and ignore evidence that was so convincing that we won in the United Kingdom.
I’m sorry I lost this case. But I’m even sadder that I seem to have lost the right I thought I had as an American to speak freely and openly. “
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