Both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have released statements commenting on the verdict of their ongoing defamation trial. Handing out its decision on Wednesday, Jurors awarded Depp a total of $15 million in damages and Heard $2 million, claiming them both to be liable.
Amber Heard says that the jury’s decision to find her liable for defaming Johnny Depp is a “setback” for women everywhere who speak out.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” she wrote in a statement posted to her social media pages. “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.”
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Heard added: “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”
Depp had sought a total of $50 million in damages as a result of an op-ed Heard wrote in The Washington Post, in which she presented herself as a survivor of “domestic abuse.” Heard, on the other hand, counter-sued Depp for $100 million, alleging her story to be true, and Depp’s labeling of them as a “hoax” to be libelous.
In a statement of his own responding to the verdict, Depp wrote that the “best is yet to come” for his career and he’s excited to start a new chapter.
“False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me … And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled,” he wrote.
“I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world,” Depp continued. “I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media.”
He concluded: “The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun. Veritas numquam perit. Truth never perishes.”
Check out both Depp and Heard’s full comments on the verdict below.
[Via]