Depp verdict: Actor wins defamation trial as Heard awarded one counterclaim
The jury in the defamation trial opposing Johnny Depp and Amber Heard reached a verdict on the third day of deliberations, handing a victory to Depp and a partial win to Heard.
Depp sued Heard for $50m for implying he abused her in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Although she didn’t name him, he claims her allegations impacted his ability to work. She pursued a $100m counterclaim.
The jury found that Heard defamed Depp on all three counts and awarded him $10m in compensatory damages and $5m in punitive damages (capped at $350,000). Heard was awarded $2m in compensatory damages, but no punitive damages.
In closing arguments, Depp’s lawyers asked jurors to “give him his life back” after it was “ruined” by Heard’s domestic abuse allegations. On Wednesday, the “humbled” actor thanked them for doing so and said a new chapter was now beginning for him after six years.
In a statement, Heard expressed “disappointment beyond words” and said she was heartbroken, claiming the verdict was a “setback” for women.
A spokesperson for Heard toldThe New York Times that she has decided to appeal the verdict and Lawyer Elaine Bredehoft said to NBC’s Today show that Heard was “unable to pay” the damages and claimed evidence had been suppressed.
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Kyle Rittenhouse: Depp win over Heard ‘fueling’ his plan to sue media for defamation
In August 2020, Mr Rittenhouse fatally shot two men and injured a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during the unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
He was acquitted in November 2021 of five charges, including first-degree homicide.
Mr Rittenhouse and his mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, have accused a number of individuals and media outlets of “defaming” him.
Oliver O’Connell2 June 2022 22:30
Voices: Depp and Heard won’t hear your view of the trial verdict – but your friends who are silent victims will
Abused women are watching while all this goes on. They are learning that their silence is the safest option.
Oliver O’Connell2 June 2022 22:07
Unlikely cult celebrities of Johnny Depp v Amber Heard
Fans of the estranged couple exhaustively documented the plaintiff and defendant’s every move and mannerism in court, their attorneys’ arguments, the judge’s interventions and a wealth of colourful witness testimony on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, carving up what might have amounted to dry legal proceedings into a spectator sport.
All of which has raised disapproving eyebrows in some quarters, with concerns expressed that the real issue at the heart of the case, domestic violence, was lost in what has become a bad taste viral soap opera.
While those criticisms are more than valid, there is no question that the trial provided an extraordinary spectacle and a cast of unforgettable supporting characters who found themselves unlikely cult celebrities.
Oliver O’Connell2 June 2022 21:59
Amber Heard should appeal ‘inconsistent’ Johnny Depp verdict, says Lisa Bloom
Ms Bloom, whose clients have included Janice Dickinson (in her allegations against Bill Cosby), actor Mischa Barton (in a revenge porn lawsuit), and Harvey Weinstein (for whom Ms Bloom was an early advisor before resigning) spoke to BBC Newsnight following the verdict in the defamation case.
Clémence Michallon reports:
Oliver O’Connell2 June 2022 21:49
Depp hired lawyer as consultant for trial after seeing her in Making a Murderer
An attorney says Johnny Depp hired her as a legal consultant for his defamation trial against Amber Heard after seeing her in the series Making a Murderer.
Ms Zellner said Mr Depp called her and left a voicemail at her office at the end of December. She said Mr Depp told her he had seen her in Making a Murderer say that she “would be the last person someone would hire if they were guilty, because you would find out about it.”
“I was struck that that’s what motivated him to contact me,” Ms Zellner added.
Clémence Michallon reports:
Oliver O’Connell2 June 2022 21:30
Depp and Heard face uphill battle to rebuild images
After an explosive six-week libel trial followed by millions on social media and live TV, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard each face an uphill battle: trying to rebuild their images and careers.
Depp already has a head start, with a jury verdict Wednesday largely favoring his narrative, that his ex-wife defamed him by accusing him of abusing her.
“Depp has a hill to climb. Heard has a mountain to climb,” said Eric Dezenhall, a crisis mitigator in Washington with no involvement in the case.
Oliver O’Connell2 June 2022 21:08
Washington Post adds editor’s note to Amber Heard op-ed at centre of trial
Following the verdict in the dueling defamation suits filed by Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, the op-ed at the centre of his claim against her has been amended.
Oliver O’Connell2 June 2022 20:40
Voices: Amber Heard didn’t ask for any of this — but the verdict will change her life
There’s a fair argument to be made that no matter which way the jury went in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation case, Heard — and domestic abuse survivors at large — had already lost.
Oliver O’Connell2 June 2022 20:15
Voices: What will happen to women after the Depp v Heard verdict?
Charlotte Proudman writes:
I’ll tell you what this means for women across the world: if you speak up against sexual violence you will face our culture’s wrath.
Oliver O’Connell2 June 2022 19:57
Heard ‘unable to pay’ the millions in damages to Depp
Amber Heard’s lawyer says that her client will be unable to pay the millions in damages she must pay to Johnny Depp after a jury determined she defamed her ex-husband in the weeks-long trial.
Speaking one day after the verdict was delivered, attorney Elaine Bredehoft told Savannah Guthrie while appearing on NBC’s The Today Show that her client is “absolutely not” able to pay the $10.4m in damages that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor won after a jury deliberated for three days following the closely followed, and widely panned, trial.
Oliver O’Connell2 June 2022 19:38
Source by www.independent.co.uk
