amber heard and johnny depp trial© Photo: Getty Images

Johnny Depp awarded $15million following Amber Heard defamation lawsuit

The high-profile court case has come to an end

US Deputy Editor
Updated: June 1, 2022

After weeks of explosive testimony in a Fairfax, Virginia courtroom, the verdict is in. The jury have said that Amber Heard defamed Johnny in her accusations, saying that the Aquaman star acted with "actual malice" with her claims. They went on to award Johnny $10million in compensatory damages. There was an additional $5million in punitive costs, this means that Johnny has been awarded $15million overall.

However, there was a partial win for Amber, as the jury awarded her $2million after finding that Johnny had defamed her through his attorney.

Amber was present for the drama-fuelled moment, but Johnny was not be there, as he was performing in the UK at a rock concert.

The announcement was partially delayed after it was found out that the jury had failed to fill out how much money would given in damages.

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Johnny's $50m defamation case against Amber stemmed from a 2018 op-ed article she wrote for The Washington Post in which she said she was a "public figure representing domestic abuse".

While the piece did not identify Johnny by name, his attorneys said it "incalculably" damaged his career, costing him acting roles. She then countersued him for $100m.

READ: Johnny Depp's daughter pays tribute to her mom amid Amber Heard court drama

READ: What Johnny Depp's lawyer REALLY said as he celebrated Amber Heard's Kate Moss comment

The weeks-long trial began on 11 April. Following the closing arguments on 27 May, the jury began deliberating on the six weeks of testimony before being sent home for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

© Photo: Getty Images

The trial was tumultuous 

The jurors faced a difficult task coming to a verdict and on Friday, in the closing arguments, Johnny's attorneys asked them to "give him his life back" after he claimed it had been "ruined" by Amber's allegations of domestic abuse. 

In turn, the Aquaman actress' lawyers said that ruling in favor of Johnny would make jurors an "accomplice" to his abuse and "campaign of global humiliation". They also called him out for "laughing" during the trial. 

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