After a trial that lasted several weeks that occupied world public opinion, the jury in a U.S. court in Virginia on Wednesday announced the end of a judicial dispute between controversial duo Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, who accuse each other of defamation.
The seven members of the panel reached a decision confirming Johnny Depp's victory and Amber Heard's defamation conviction against her ex-husband in Fairfax Court, after deliberations that lasted about 13 hours.
The U.S. court also ruled that Amber Heard should pay $15 million to Johnny Depp for defamation. Depp's compensation is in two parts: the first is $10 million, while the second is $5 million, which the judge reduced to $350,000 in compliance with the state's maximum damage compensation limit, with a total of just over $10 million.
Johnny Depp was also fined $2 million for defaming his ex-wife.
Johnny Depp miss. And Amber's coming.
ABC television, citing sources close to the actor, said Johnny Depp missed the verdict "because of professional commitments made before the trial."
Amber Heard was present when the verdict was read out in Fairfax.
Uncovering the secrets of the lives of the two stars
After the hearings ended on Friday, Depp travelled to the UK where he participated in several concerts by British singer Jeff Beck in Sheffield and London.
The trial saw the two stars' private lives publicly exposed to millions of viewers who watched their sessions on television stations around the world.
Since 11 April, the jury has heard dozens of hours of testimony and audio or video recordings that revealed shocking details of the couple's lives between 2011 and 2016.
A heated court battle between the star and his ex-wife has been the subject of an exchange of serious accusations, with Johnny Depp accusing his ex-wife Amber Heard of beating his reputation and undermining his career, after she confirmed in a 2018 Washington Post article that she had been subjected to domestic violence two years earlier while they were still married, without explicitly mentioning him. Depp demanded $50 million in damages.
Hurd, for her part, launched a counterattack demanding a double compensation of $100 million, asserting that Depp had been violent for years and raped in 2015.
The blonde actress also filed for divorce in May 2016 accusing the Hollywood star of domestic violence, and their divorce came into effect in early 2017.
