Johnny Depp has won his multimillion-dollar US lawsuit against former wife Amber Heard after a jury ruled her 2018 article in the Washington Post was defamatory.
Depp has been awarded compensatory damages of $10m (£8m) and a further $5m (£4m) in punitive damages.
It comes just days before the Holywood actor is set to perform in Scotland.
The jury found there was “actual malice” in false and defamatory statements made by Heard about Depp.
“The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun. Veritas numquam perit. Truth never perishes.”
Johnny Depp
Depp sued the Aquaman actress for $50m over a 2018 article she wrote for The Washington Post in which she described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse”.
The article does not mention Depp by name, however his legal team said it falsely implied he abused the actress while they were together – the jury unanimously agreed.
Following six weeks of evidence and roughly 13 hours of deliberation, jurors reached their decision.
The actor has consistently denied the “outrageous, outlandish” claims of abuse and said he had “spoken up for what I have been carrying on my back reluctantly for six years” during his own evidence during the trial.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.”
Amber Heard
During closing remarks, both sides urged jurors to think about other victims of domestic abuse.
Heard’s legal team highlighted the message that a verdict in Depp’s favour would send to others, while the actor’s representatives said her claims were “an act of profound cruelty to true survivors”.
In the past few days, Depp has made appearances on stage alongside musician Jeff Beck in the UK, and was not present for the verdict.
He is due to join Beck onstage in Glasgow on Friday just days after jurors returned their verdict.
Heard said she felt “heartbroken” by the ruling, adding she was “sadder still” that she had “lost a right” to “speak freely and openly”.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband,” she said in a statement.
“I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women.
“It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.
“It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.
“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of freedom of speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.
“I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly.”
In a statement issued through a spokesperson Depp said: “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed.
“All in the blink of an eye.
“False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already travelled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.
“And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”
Depp went on to say his decision to pursue the case “was only made after considerable thought” and his goal was to “reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome”.
“Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that,” the actor said.
He said he had been “overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world”, adding: “I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up.”
Depp said: “The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun,” before concluding, “Veritas numquam perit. Truth never perishes.”
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
