Speaking out. Amber Heard is stunned after Johnny Depp was awarded $15 million in his defamation case against her.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” the 36-year-old actress said in a statement to Us Weekly on Wednesday, June 1. “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.”
The Aquaman actress continued: “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.”
A jury ruled in favor of Depp, 58, on Wednesday, calling for Heard to pay him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
“It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously,” Heard argued in her statement. “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 U.K.”
She concluded: “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.”
Heard was awarded $2 million in the case after the jury found that Depp’s attorney made a defamatory statement about the actress. During the trial, the lawyer claimed that the Texas native’s abuse allegations against his client were a hoax.
Depp, who was not in court on Wednesday, said in a statement to Us via his spokesperson that he is “humbled” after learning that the jury ruled in his favor.
“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” the Pirates of the Caribbean star alleged in this statement. “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 Kentucky native noted how “overwhelmed” he’s been by the “outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world.” Depp added that he hopes this case will help others, adding, “I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media.”
Outside the courthouse, Depp’s lawyer Camille Vazquez addressed the press. “We are grateful, so grateful, to the jury for their careful deliberation,” she said. “To the judge and the court staff who have devoted an enormous amount of time and resources towards this case.”
Another Depp attorney, Benjamin Chew, added: “Our judicial system is predicated on each person’s right to have his or her case heard, and we were honored, truly honored, to assist Mr. Depp in ensuring that his case was fairly considered throughout the trial. We are also most pleased that the trial has resonated with so many people in the public who value truth and justice. Now that the jury has reached its conclusive verdict, it’s time to turn the page and look to the future.”
Heard and Depp tied the knot in 2015 after meeting in 2009 on the set of The Rum Diary. They split less than two years later with the Zombieland actress accusing her estranged spouse of domestic abuse in 2016.
After their divorce was finalized, Heard wrote an op-ed piece for The Washington Post in 2018, in which she detailed her alleged survival of abuse. She didn’t, however, name Depp anywhere in the story.
The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory actor unsuccessfully sued The Sun in 2018 for libel after they called him a “wife beater” in relation to Heard’s past allegations of abuse. He then filed a defamation case against Heard, claiming her op-ed tainted his good name and cost him career opportunities.
Depp and Heard faced off in court beginning in April. The case came to a close on Wednesday.
