On Wednesday June 1st in Fairfax, Virginia the jury of seven returned their verdict on the defamation trial between former Pirates of the Caribbean Star Johnny Depp and his Ex-Wife Aquaman star Amber Heard. The jury ruled in favor of Johnny Depp, awarding him $10 Million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages for a total of $15 Million; A far cry from the $50 Million he originally pursued, but still a win. You could say he “made off like a pirate”.

Here is his statement:

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Johnny Depp (@johnnydepp)

“Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye.

False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me … And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.

My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought.

From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. 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.

I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world. I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media.

I wish to acknowledge the noble work of the Judge, the jurors, the court staff and the Sheriffs who have sacrificed their own time to get to this point, and to my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping me to share the truth.

The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun. Veritas numquam perit. Truth never perishes.”

In return Amber Heard was awarded $2 Million in compensatory damages and but $0 in punitive damages. An even bigger drop from her $100 Million countersuit she field.”

Amber Heard released a statement in response to the verdict:

Johnny Depp had previously sued The Sun, a magazine in the United Kingdom, for calling him a “Wife Beater”, a verdict that had cost him roles in both the Fantastic Beasts series at Warner Bros. and Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney while Heard got to keep her role for Aquaman 2. Now with the shoe on the other foot and public opinion in favor of her Ex Heard’s career now seems to be dead in the water; Especially with the petition to remove Heard from the super hero sequel currently over 4.4 Million signatures.

The trial has been an ongoing war between the two. Ever since Amber Heard claimed to have been physically and emotionally abused by her now Ex-Husband during their three year relationship people have been tuning in. Not since the O.J. Simpson trials has there been this much media attention on a celebrity court case; Going down as one of the messiest divorce stories in Hollywood history.

Even if Johnny had lost his deformation case public opinion has sided with the actor. The public started the #JusticeforJohnnyDepp hashtag on social media. The amount of evidence and eyewitness testimony showing that Heard had either flat-out lied about or manipulated information was undeniable. Even the makeup company, Milani Cosmetics, called her out for showing a makeup kit that hadn’t been publicly available until after the time she claimed to have been abused.

Sadly it appears that Johnny Depp will no longer appear in any future Pirates of the Caribbean films, but at least he was able to prove both legally and publicly that he was a victim of both abuse and false allegations. This is a big win in the world of deformation cases and for male abuse victims.

Source: NBC News