Johnny Depp Amber Heard

JOHNNY DEPP VS AMBER HEARD: A FINAL PROGRESSION TO THE CASE

The long awaited conclusion to the trial of the decade, the Johnny Depp Amber Heard defamation case, finally arrived on Wednesday June 1 2022. The Jury awarded the victory of this highly controversial trial to the actor Johnny Depp, claiming that Amber Heard was unable to verify her allegations of domestic abuse against Depp. The court also came to the conclusion that Heard also knew that her claims in the 2018 opinion-editorial essay by Heard in The Washington Post were false. 

In turn, Depp received $5 million in punitive damages and & $10 million in compensatory damages from the Jury. Later, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate reduced the punitive damages the jury awarded to Depp to $350,000, which is the state’s statutory cap or legal limit, making his total compensation $10.4 million. 

A couple of statements made by Johnny Depp, after the commencement of this trial, signify how relieved he is upon the truth being rewarded. 

"From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome",

Depp said in a statement Wednesday.

"Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that."

 Depp also said that,

"The jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled."

However, the Jury did find that Johnny Depp defamed Amber Heard on one count, through his former attorney Adam Waldman. As a result of this finding alone, Heard was also awarded $2 million in compensatory damages, but none in punitive damages. 

With the case coming to an end, Depp and Heard now have their careers to focus on. This trial undoubtedly damaged both actors’ public reputations and definitely put a dent on their future career prospects. Firstly, Johnny Depp, having a much bigger career of the two, faced quite a bit of criticism regarding his acting career in court during the course of this trial. His former agent and business manager testified that Depp had been coming late to work and failed to memorize his dialogues while the case was being fought. His unprofessionalism, along with Depp’s reputation for substance abuse, caused the actor to get dropped from Warner Bros. “Fantastic Beasts” sequel movie in 2020, after losing the UK trial. 

On the other hand, the situation, current and possible, seems far worse for the actress Amber Heard. Most professionals, working in or having ties to the entertainment industry, who followed this trial, are in favor of Heard being cut from any and all future productions. Her role in Aquaman 2 has been significantly reduced and her chances of featuring in future DC prospects look slim. Janet Comenos, the co-founder and CEO of Spotted Media Inc. said, 

“I think the results show pretty clearly that Johnny Depp is extremely hirable and that it would be a risk to the production company to hire Amber Heard because of the precipitous drop in appeal that she had since the beginning of the trial.”

Although it is safe to say that Johnny Depp, having the illustrious 38-year acting career under his belt, wouldn’t be nearly as affected by this trial as the comparatively newer actress Amber Heard, who will definitely suffer the backlash of the media, the entertainment industry and the general public.