Johnny Depp won and is entitled to $ 15 million in compensation (he had asked for 50). The Fairfax, Virginia jury ruled that yes, Amber Heard defamed the actor in the now infamous editorial on the Washington Post of 2018, in which – although not naming it openly – she told of having suffered violence and abuse at the hands of her ex-husband. Depp has also been found guilty of defamation and will have to pay the ex two million for having defined, through her lawyer, the charges of his ex-wife “a scam” organized by her and her friends. Amber Heard was present in the classroom, looking down, crying held back with great effort. Depp, on the other hand, was absent. In the last few days, those in which the jurors have taken time to deliberate, the actor has been immortalized in Great Britain, alongside Jeff Beck during some concerts.
“The jury gave me my life back,” said the star through a note, immediately after the verdict. This is the complete text: “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the life of the people closest to me, and also the life of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me, have changed forever. Suddenly. False, very serious and criminal accusations have been leveled at me through the media, which has triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, even though no explicit accusations have ever been made against me. These allegations went around the world twice in a nano second and had a seismic impact on my life and career. Six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly proud.
My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the legal obstacles I would face and the inevitable global spectacle on my life, was only made after much thought. From the start, the goal of pursuing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Telling the truth was something I owed to my children and to all who stood firm in supporting me. I feel at peace knowing that I have finally achieved that goal.
I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and colossal support and kindness from around the world. I hope that my search for truth has helped everyone, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those who support them never give up. I would like to thank the noble work of the judge, jurors, court staff and sheriffs who sacrificed their time to get to this point, and my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an amazing job in helping me share the truth. “.
The actress is in a completely different mood: “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” Heard said immediately after reading the verdict, “I am heartbroken that the mountain of evidence was not enough to counteract the disproportionate power of my ex husband“. And again: «I am even more disappointed by what this verdict means for other women. It’s a setback. Turn back the clock to a time when a woman who speaks openly risks being publicly humiliated. You dismiss the idea that violence against women should be taken seriously ”.
The trial, followed in America (and beyond) by millions of spectators, lasted six weeks. Six weeks of both recounting horrors, as audience views tripled on TikTok. And perhaps as Monica Lewinsky claims, in an article written for Vanity Fair America, they both lost, along with all of us. The actor now hopes his career can be rehabilitated. We’ll see.
Meanwhile, outside the Virginia courthouse, his fans scream: “Johnny is free.” And that’s okay.
Source: Vanity Fair
