Heard has released her first statement since a jury found her guilty of defaming her ex-husband Johnny Depp earlier this week.
According to the actress, 36, the verdict is a “setback” for women who have been impacted by #MeToo.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. 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,” Heard said.
“I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women,” she continued, noting it was 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.”
She added, “I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.
“I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly.”
The infamous trial of the century has finally reached a conclusion today after going on for about two months. In recent celebrity history, no trial has come close to being as notorious as this one – a trial of the exes. Everyone from all over the world has been watching, reacting, covering, and speaking up about the trial.
The trial was brought about by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, for $50 million because he wanted to prove that his image was tarnished by his ex-wife. When Amber Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post about Johnny Depp, she painted him as a horrible husband. She talked about Johnny Depp having massive issues and keeping a horrendous home environment. Her op-ed went viral and she received a lot of support and praise during that time, while Johnny Depp’s image started to dwindle.
The op-ed led to Johnny Depp losing roles in massive movies – notable The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as Disney decided to remove him from the upcoming sequel. While speaking about how he felt about Disney taking him off of the movie franchise he single-handedly made famous through his iconic “Captain Jack Sparrow” character, he said:
“Captain Jack Sparrow was a character I built from the ground up and was something that I, of course, put a lot of [myself] into the character and also having worked on these films with these people and added much of myself, much of my own re-writing of the dialogue and scenes and jokes.”
But Johnny Depp decided to fight a legal battle to bring his side of the truth to light, which showed the world a completely different side of Amber Heard. It showed everyone that Johnny Depp was actually the one suffering throughout his marriage while Amber Heard was the one causing problems.
The audio recordings and evidence revealed during this trial showed the world that Amber Heard was a problematic wife – screaming and being angry at Johnny Depp on a regular basis. After Johnny filed his $50 million lawsuit against Amber, Amber filed a $100 million lawsuit against Johnny – and the world has eagerly been watching all of the testimonies and updates during these past two months.
Johnny Depp’s fans also started a petition against Amber Heard to get her removed from Aquaman 2, the petition received more than 4 million signatures. Social media was full of people taking sides and speaking up. A lot of celebrities also came out to speak about Johnny & Amber, choosing who to side with and who to speak against.
“I lost everything. However this trial ends; I lose in the end.”
About how the trail will impact his life, Johnny Depp said he would lost even if he won. He said:
“I lost when these accusations were made public, they will stay with me forever. My life is ruined forever.”
“I will live with that for the rest of my life because of the allegations.”
“It was such a big, high profile case that I lost then no matter the outcome of this trial.”
The Verdict – The Jury Stands with Johnny Depp & Agrees that Amber Heard Intentionally Tarnished His Image
Johnny Depp wasn’t present in court today because he’s been in the U.K. since the trial ended but Amber Heard was there – wearing all black. The jury has decided their verdict today, after a three-day period – Johnny Depp wins $15 million in defamation against Amber Heard while Amber Heard gets $2 million. The jury agreed that Amber Heard defamed Johnny Depp on purpose and had every intention to ruin his image. In the end, the jury ultimately believed Johnny Depp and all of the evidence he showed throughout the trial.
It is highly possible that Amber Heard & her team will try to appeal the verdict, but that’s yet to be seen. We will keep you posted with how it plays out.
Amber Heard looks unhappy with the verdict. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Source: PageSix & Law&Crime Network
Johnny Depp did not win 15 million. The jury awarded him 10 million plus 5 million for punitive damages but, in that state the maximum they can award is 350,000 for punitive damages. Thus, judge “A” awarded him just that. The total he won was $10,350,000.00.
Amber only “won” one claim the jury didn’t have all the evidence on. They only knew the police had been called once, not twice. If they knew all the information, she would not have “won” that claim and walked out of there with nothing. However, she should be arrested for all the lies she spewed.