American actress, Amber Heard, has condemned the verdict reached by the jury in her defamation case with British actor and ex-husband, Johnny Depp.
Heard had counter-sued the Pirates of the Caribbean actor to the tune of $100 million after he filed a case against her for an article she wrote in 2018 (a year after their divorce) where she tagged herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
According to Depp, while she did not mention his name in the article, it painted to him as an abusive partner and consequently impacted his career negatively.
On Wednesday, a United States jury finally reached a verdict after weeks of an intense trial riding on bitterly contested allegations of domestic abuse.
The seven-member jury in Virginia found both parties liable of defamation and awarded Depp $15 million in damages.
The jury also found that Heard was defamed by statements made by Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, who told the Daily Mail that her abuse claims were a “hoax,” and awarded her $2 million in damages.
Reacting to the verdict, the actress, on her Instagram page, expressed her disappointment in the eventual result of the case.
She said “the mountain of evidence was still not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway” of her ex-husband.
The actress added, “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback.
“It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.
“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive, that we won in the UK.”
Amber further stated that she was sad to have “lost” the case but “sadder still” as she seems to have lost her right to “speak freely and openly.”
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