Quick glance-
- Johnny Depp won the defamation case filed against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
- The court asked Amber Heard to pay $10 million to Johnny Depp, and in return, Johnny was asked to pay $2 million to Amber Heard.
- But after some time, Amber Heard agreed to settle with Johnny Depp.
- Johnny receives $1 million as a defamation settlement.
Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard – Captain Jack Sparrow aka Johnny Depp won the defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard. A defamation case was filed by veteran actor Johnny Depp against his wife, Amber Heard in the Virginia Court worth $50 million. She also filed a countersuit against Johnny Depp worth $100 million.
Settlement between Johnny and Amber
After the verdict, the court asked Amber Heard to pay $10 million to Johnny Depp, and in return, Johnny was asked to pay $2 million to Amber Heard. But after some time, Amber Heard agreed to settle with Johnny Depp. As a settlement amount, she pays only $1 million to Johnny.
With this settlement, there is a stop to the rumors that Amber Heard will appeal against the verdict of the Virginia Court in a higher court. According to some media reports, Johnny Depp will distribute this amount among the five charities that are caring for ill children, helping marginalized communities, and protecting the environment. These charities are
- The Painted Turtle
- Red Feather
- Amazonia Fund Alliance
- Make a film foundation
- Tetiaroa society
After the settlement, Ms. Heard wrote on her Instagram post that ” it was a difficult decision for me. I tried my best to reveal the truth, but in doing so, I have destroyed my life completely, she added.
She also wrote,” Now I finally have an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago, and on terms I can agree to. I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward.”
On the other hand, Johnny Depp came back with a film called Jeanne du Barry, and this film got a 7-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.
A Recap of Trial in Detail:
A High Profile defamation case has attracted the attention of the world. Initially, it was the case between two Hollywood celebrities, but it got hyped as the trial of this case telecasted on websites and on YouTube. Millions of people from all over the world felt that they were connected to the case.
A 6-week-long trial comes to an end on 1st June. The verdict of the case was not given by a judge, but by a jury consisting of 7 prominent persons.
Amber Heard was represented by her attorney Elaine Bredehoft and her team, while Depp was represented by Camille Vasquez, Ben Chew and their team.
Johnny Depp’s attorney Camilla got social media recognition because of the nature of the cross- examination of his wife. She also strongly put forward evidence against Depp’s wife.
Timeline of the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard Case-
- They met in 2012 during the shooting of the film The Rum Diary.
- After the film they started dating each other and in 2015 both got married.
- In 2016, after 1 year of marriage, she filed for divorce in court. She alleged to Mr. Depp that he was abusive during their relationship and assaulted her sexually and physically. Mr. Depp denied all the allegations.
- The couple mutually got divorced. As a result of the divorce, she got $7 million alimony from her ex-husband. She promised that she would donate all $7 million alimony to charity.
- In 2018, she wrote an article in the Washington Post that she is a domestic violence survivor and represents domestic abuse. However, she didn’t mention the name of Mr. Depp.
- In 2018 newspaper ‘The Sun’ of the UK called the Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp ‘Wife Beater’.
- Mr. Depp filed a lawsuit against the newspaper ‘The Sun’ in the UK court, but he lost the case and the Judge said that Mr. Depp had assaulted her ex-wife Ms. Heard.
- Then, in 2019, he filed a defamation case against Ms. Heard in Virginia Court.
- Evidence like photos and audios were put forward in court by both of them. Most of the evidence was against Ms. Heard. An audio recording of her clearly showed that she was also an abuser in the relationship.
What is the verdict of the trial?
- The jury came to the conclusion that both had defamed each other but more money was awarded to the actor. Mr. Depp was found guilty of 1 count of defamation while she was found guilty of 3 counts of defamation.
- Mr. Depp will be given $10 Million by his wife, Ms. Heard, for defamation.
- She is also being awarded $2 million by her husband for defamation.
- Since the amount awarded to Mr. Depp is higher than Ms. Heard. So it could be considered a victory for Mr. Johnny.
However, an attorney for the actress, Elaine said that Ms. Heard is not capable of paying a hefty amount of $10 million.
Ms. Amber can appeal in the higher court of the USA against the verdict of the Virginia court.
Reaction of Johnny and Amber after the verdict
Ms. Heard said in a tweet that, “She is disappointed and heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still wasn’t enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of her ex-husband. ”
On the other hand, Mr. Johnny Depp is really happy with the verdict and said that, “Six years later, the Jury gave him his life back. He is truly humbled.”
Effects of the verdict on society;
This verdict proves that men can be victims, too, of domestic violence. Majority of people, including women, are happy with the decision of the Jury as it is warning to fake domestic violence survivors.
The Feminist section is saying that the verdict can demotivate victims of domestic violence to speak against their partners. Hate on social media against Amber Heard before the verdict is worrisome.
