2 Jun – After six weeks of trial, the jury has finally come to a verdict and decided to award Johnny Depp a win in his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star was awarded US$10 million in compensation after suing the "Aquaman" actress for US$50 million in damages over a 2018 essay published in The Washington Post, where she said she had become a "public figure representing domestic abuse." In addition, Heard was also ordered to pay US$5 million in punitive damages to the actor.
Meanwhile, the jury also awarded US$2 million in compensatory damages to Heard. In a statement released after the verdict, Depp expressed that the decision to pursue the case despite the legal hurdles 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." Depp's defamation lawsuit was filed back in 2019, though it had been delayed previously due to the COVID-10 pandemic. The actor was accused of abuse by Heard back in 2016, but both parties signed an NDA soon after to prevent them from commenting on reasons of the breakup - that is before Heard decided to publish the said op-ed in 2018.