American actor, Johnny Depp, has expressed joy over the verdict reached in the defamation suit against ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Depp had sued his Heard for $50 million due to an op-ed she wrote in 2018. At the time, Heard referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” in the article. Although, she had not mentioned Depp’s name, he claimed the article had painted him as an abusive partner. And consequently impacted his career negatively.
After many weeks of a famous trial, a United States jury finally reached a verdict on Wednesday. The seven-member jury found Heard’s 2018 article defamatory and awarded Depp $15 million in damages.
However, Heard also walked home with some money, as they found that she was defamed by statements made by Depp’s lawyer. Adam Waldman, who told the Daily Mail that her abuse claims were a “hoax,”. Heard was awarded $2 million in damages.
In reaction, Depp stated that the jury gave him his life back after six years of battling to clear his name. He wrote on Instagram 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.”
He continued,
“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.”
He continued,