It’s been a long, hard trip but a decision has finally been reached in the Johnny Depp- Amber Heard trial. The jury sided with Depp awarding him $15 million in damages; $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages.
Depp sued Heard for $50 million after she identified herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” in an op-ed piece she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018. Heard countersued for $100 million.
The jury began deliberating Friday and reached a verdict today.
Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate reduced Depp’s total punitive damages to $350,000, the maximum legal limit bringing total damages to $10.4 million.
Depp was very happy about the ruling and made a lengthy statement that included highlights such as,
“The jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”
“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something I owed to my children and all of those that have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
There were mixed feelings on social media regarding the outcome of the case. Some celebrated with tweets like, “Overcome with emotions at the moment. He did it! So proud of him! It has been an honor to fight for truth & justice for the past 6 years.”
Another woman posted a video of herself crying tears of joy over the verdict on TikTok. “He actually won,” she wrote. The video amassed 250,000 views and tons of supportive comments.
But on the other side of the fence were people that shared the view of a commenter that wrote, “This case set a horrible precedent for the way victims of abuse will be treated by the court of public opinion in the future.”
