On June 1, 2022, a jury in Virginia delivered a verdict in the highly publicized defamation case between actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Depp, 58, had sued Heard for $50 million, alleging that she defamed him in a 2018 newspaper opinion piece in which she referred to herself as a 'public figure representing domestic abuse.'
Heard, in turn, countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming that his lawyer had called her accusations of abuse a 'hoax.'
The seven-person jury ultimately ruled in favor of Depp, awarding him $10.35 million in damages after reducing the original $15 million award to comply with state limits on punitive damages.
Heard was awarded $2 million in damages on one of her counterclaims against Depp.
Depp's victory marked a significant turning point in the couple's tumultuous relationship, which was the subject of a six-week trial featuring graphic testimony about their alleged abuse and Depp's subsequent defamation lawsuit.
