Veteran American actor, Johnny Depp, has expressed joy over the verdict reached in his defamation suit against ex-wife, Amber Heard.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor had sued his Heard to the tune of $50 million for an op-ed she wrote a year after their marriage fell apart.
In the article, the actress had referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
While his name was not mentioned, Depp claimed the article had painted 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 where shocking revelations were made by both parties.
The seven-member jury in Virginia found Heard’s 2018 article defamatory 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, Depp said the jury gave him his life back after six years of battling to clear his name.
He wrote on his Instagram page on Wednesday, “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also the lives of people, who for many many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye.
“False, very criminal allegations were leveled at me via the media, which triggered endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me.
“It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond, and it had seismic impact on my life and my career. And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I’m truly humbled.”
In the statement, Depp also mentioned that he pursued the case in order to “reveal the truth”, despite the height of legal hurdles he would be facing, and the intrusion into his private life which would result from it.
He added, “Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who gave remained steadfast in their support of me, I feel at peace knowing that 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 to never give up.
“I also hope that the position will return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the court and the media.”
Johnny’s ex-wife, Heard, has, however, expressed her disappointment with the verdict, stating that it stands as a “setback” to the rights of women in abusive relationships to speak out.
“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,” she wrote via her Instagram page on Wednesday.
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