It’s official: Amber Heard has to pay her ex-husband Johnny Depp $10.35 million after the defamation trial. The judge now upheld the verdict.
Actress Amber Heard has to pay her ex-husband Johnny Depp $10.35 million. According to the US media, the judge in the libel trial confirmed the verdict on Friday evening after a brief hearing in Virginia. Judge Penney Azcarate also ordered Depp to pay his ex-wife $2 million. The fine was determined by the jury on June 1st. The confirmation of the judgment by the judge is therefore only a formality.
The trial between the two ex-spouses had caused a media spectacle for weeks: Johnny Depp had accused Amber Heard of defamation after she described herself in a December 2018 Washington Post article as a “public figure representing domestic violence”. . The jury largely ruled in favor of Depp, only agreeing with Heard on one point.
A juror reported the jury’s view of the case and trial. The juror described Heard’s tears during the hearing as “crocodile tears”: “It didn’t come across as believable. It seemed like she was able to flip a switch on her emotions. She answered a question and was crying and two seconds later she was freezing again. It didn’t seem natural.” Heard was considered by the majority of the jury to be the aggressor in the relationship, the judge said.
Shortly after the trial, Amber Heard announced that she would appeal the verdict. Through her lawyers, the actress admitted that she cannot afford the $10.35 million – less the $2 million she is getting from him, totaling $8.35 million – in damages that Depp was awarded.
According to the Daily Mail, Heard’s lawyers were still trying to reach a last-minute agreement to reduce the claim for damages. In three weeks, the case will be sent to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Until then, both parties have time to file an appeal.
