Johnny Depp trial: Amber Heard to appeal verdict after jury rules in Pirates actor’s favour

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Amber Heard will appeal a Virginia jury’s verdict in the multi-million dollar lawsuit brought against her by Johnny Depp.

Alafair Hall, a spokesperson for the Aquaman actor, told The New York Times about Ms Heard’s decision to appeal after the jury ruled in Mr Depp’s favour after three days of deliberation.

Ms Heard has been ordered to pay the Pirates of the Caribbean actor $15m in damages, after Mr Depp sued her for implying he abused her in a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post.

Mr Depp claimed Ms Heard’s article adversely impacted his ability to land the kinds of Hollywood roles he once used to.

Ms Heard countersued her ex-husband for $100m, accusing him of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing the lawsuit against her as a continuation of “abuse and harassment”.

The jury also awarded Ms Heard $2m for one part of her own counterclaim, that Mr Depp’s lawyer had called her abuse allegations against her ex-husband a hoax.

The Independent has reached out to representatives for Ms Heard and Mr Depp for comment.

In a statement to the press after the verdict was read out at Virginia’s Fairfax County district court, Mr Depp thanked the jury for “giving me my life back”.

The 58-year-old actor said: “From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. 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.”

He ended his statement by saying “the best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun.”

In her statement, Ms Heard xpressed “disappointment beyond words” and said she was heartbroken, claiming that it was a “setback” for women.