Why was Amber Heard awarded $2 million in compensatory damages after losing the defamation case to Johnny Depp? Explained
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Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Amber Heard lost the highly publicized defamation libel case after her husband filed a $50 million suit against her.
On 1st June the jury finally announced the verdict of the sensational case majorly in the favor of Depp. He should receive $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
However, the jurors also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages. But why?
Here is everything you need to know.
BREAKING: #JohnnyDepp WINS defamation case against #AmberHeard pic.twitter.com/FYbqHcui4L
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) June 1, 2022
The jury rules out both Amber Heard and Johnny Depp were defamed
After deliberating the verdict for 12 hours and 45 minutes, the jury finally concluded on 1st June. They announced it in the Fairfax, Virginia court.
The jury of seven was to determine whether the statements made by both Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s former lawyers were defamatory or not.
Depp’s legal battle arose after Heard wrote a piece in an op-ed in the Washington Post in 2018. She described herself as a survivor of domestic violence which damaged the Pirates of the Caribbean’s star reputation and career.
Heard countersued her estranged husband for $100 million. She won a small amount after the jury announced that some, not all, statements made against her were defamatory.
Why was Amber Heard awarded $2 million?
In their verdict, the jurors ruled out that a few comments made by Johnny Depp’s former attorney Adam Waldman were defamatory.
Waldman’s statements were published in London’s Daily Mail.
According to an article from 8th April 2020, Waldman mentioned, ‘Amber Heard and her friends in the media used fake sexual violence allegations as both sword and shield, depending on their needs. They have selected some of her sexual violence hoax ‘facts’ as the sword, inflicting them on the public and Mr. Depp.’
Waldman made a second comment on 27th April 2020. He said, ‘Quite simply this was an ambush, a hoax. They set Mr. Depp up by calling the cops, but the first attempt didn’t do the trick. The officers came to the penthouses, thoroughly searched and interviewed, and left after seeing no damage to face or property. So Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911.’
In a third comment, he claimed, ‘We have reached the beginning of the end of Ms. Heard’s abuse hoax against Johnny Depp.’
The jury however declared Waldman’s second statement to be defamatory for which Heard was awarded $2 million.
