Johnny Depp Amber Heard

After weeks of explosive testimony, the jury is finally deliberating in the defamation case between actors Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard. Here are some of the high – and low – points of the blockbuster trial. Image via Twitter @cathyrusson

Amber Heard: ‘The disappointment I feel today is beyond words’

Amber Heard says she is sad she lost and that the court’s decision to rule in favour of ex-husband Johnny Depp is a setback for women

Johnny Depp Amber Heard

After weeks of explosive testimony, the jury is finally deliberating in the defamation case between actors Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard. Here are some of the high – and low – points of the blockbuster trial. Image via Twitter @cathyrusson

Actress Amber Heard says she has been left disappointed after losing the defamation lawsuit brought against her by former husband Johnny Depp.

A jury in Virginia, the United States (US), awarded Depp a total of $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Heard was awarded $2 million dollars in in compensatory damages and no money for punitive damages. The jury found that her statements about Heard’s marriage with Depp were false and conveyed a “defamatory implication” to people other than her former husband.

AMBER HEARD SAYS COURT DEFEAT ‘A SETBACK’ FOR WOMEN

Amber Heard released a statement on her social media platforms on Wednesday, 1 June 2022, moments after Johnny Depp’s victory in the trial was announced.

“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.

Heard added that she was even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women, particularly those who decide to speak out about abuse.

“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”

Amber Heard

Depp had filed a lawsuit against Amber Heard over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018. In the op-ed, Heard claimed to have been a victim of domestic abuse, but did not name Depp. The 58-year-old Charlie and the Chocolate Factory actor subsequently sued his ex-wife for $50 million. Heard then countersued for $100 million, claiming she had been defamed by statements made by Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman.

ALSO READ