The Verdict Is in for the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Trial – Opinion

A Fairfax County, Virginia, jury ruled that actress Amber Heard is liable for defamation, as she acted with “actual malice” in her 2018 op-ed about domestic abuse, and the claims made about actor Johnny Depp were false and did harm to him on a public level.

Depp will be entitled to $10 million as compensatory damages and $5,000,000 in punitive damage. Heard, however, will receive $2 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages for her counterclaim. (The jury found Heard to have proved at least one of the counterclaims.

The widely publicized case centers around a piece Heard penned for The Washington Post about her experience with domestic abuse titled “I Spoke Out About Sexual Violence — And Faced Our Culture’s Wrath. That Has to Change,” which Depp claims hinted at their prior marriage despite not directly mentioning him.

In 2019, Depp filed a $50 million lawsuit, as he believes that “demonstrably false” claims were made about him in the piece, according to The Cut. Depp claimed that he and his legal team believed the op ed was a hint at him. Heard, in 2016, accused Depp’s of domestic violence.

The Associated Press, before the verdict was made:

A jury of seven members must determine if the headline and two paragraphs in the article constitute defamation. Jurors are given instructions in the jury verdict form on how they can determine this, such as asking whether statements made about Depp were true and if there was a defamatory implied about them. Because Depp is a public figure, Heard can only be found guilty of libel if the jury decides that she acted with “actual malice,” meaning that she either knew what she wrote was false or that she acted with reckless disregard for the truth. Heard’s lawyers told the jury Depp’s libel claim must fail if Heard suffered even a single incident of abuse.

Heard also filed a $100 million counterclaim over three statements from Depp’s former attorney that she said are false and damaged her public reputation.

In terms of the public’s opinion of the televised trial, many have taken the side of Depp, sympathizing with his side of the story that also indicates alleged abuse by Heard. RedState’s Jennifer Oliver O’Connell even referred to Heard as an example of “Toxic Feminity.”

The six-week-long trial was known for its viral moments involving both the actors and the lawyers, including a time when Amber Heard’s lawyer seemingly objected to his own question, RedState’s Nick Arama wrote. This trial was notable partly because of its deep analysis of both mental and bodily health issues using audio and visual evidence about the couple.