Johnny Depp Wins Defamation Case Against Amber Heard

In the case brought by ex-husband Johnny Depp over her 2018 op-ed about coming forward with domestic abuse charges, Amber Heard was found guilty of all three counts of defamation. She’ll have to pay $15 million in restitution.

After hearing closing statements from both sides on Friday, the jury went into deliberation before reconvening Tuesday, June 1 morning after the Memorial Day weekend.

The conviction was reached unanimously and read aloud in the Fairfax County, Virginia, courtroom on Wednesday afternoon, after more than 12 hours of deliberation behind closed doors.

The seven-person jury, whose names will be kept secret for at least a year, according to Judge Penney Azcarate, was made up of five males and two women.

In the case of Heard’s countersuit against Depp, he was found guilty on one of three counts. He’ll pay $2 million in restitution.

This verdict comes 19 months after Depp lost his libel claim in the United Kingdom in November 2020. He filed a lawsuit against the British tabloid The Sun for referring to him as a “wife-beater.”