Johnny Depp Trial Latest Updates

Johnny Depp and Heard defamation trial:

On the third day of deliberation, the jury in the defamation trial against Johnny Depp and Amber Heard reached a decision. The jury awarded Depp substantially higher damages, culminating in a legal victory for the actor.

Depp sued Heard, for defamation after she penned an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018 in which she portrayed herself as a “public figure symbolizing domestic abuse.” Depp alleges that the report cost him lucrative acting gigs, despite the fact that he was not identified in the article. Heard countersued Depp for defamation over statements made by Depp’s attorney about her abuse allegations.

The jury determined that Heard defamed Depp in three distinct statements in The Washington Post article and that Depp defamed Heard in one statement made via his counsel and Deppp was given $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive penalties by the jury. Heard received $2 million in compensatory damages from the jury, but no punitive damages.

Why hasn’t either side been charged with a crime?

Because the lawsuit is being adjudicated in civil courts rather than criminal courts, neither side has ever faced the possibility of a criminal record or prison time. However, in civil disputes, the reputational damage caused by a negative verdict can be far more devastating than any monetary losses, especially for two such high-profile personalities.