FAIRFAX, Virginia –
On Wednesday, the jury ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, confirming his position that Hurd had fabricated allegations that she had been abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage.
The jury also ruled in favor of Hurd, who said she had been slandered by Depp’s lawyer when he called her allegations of abuse fraud.
Jury members found that Depp should receive $ 10.35 million in damages, while Hurd should receive $ 2 million.
The verdicts put an end to a televised trial that Depp hoped to help restore his reputation, even though it turned into a spectacle of a vicious marriage. body. During the trial, fans – mostly on Depp’s side – lined up overnight for the desired seats in the courtroom. Spectators who could not enter gathered in the street to applaud Depp and mock Hurd when they appeared outside.
Hurd, who was stoic in the courtroom as the verdict was read, said he had a broken heart.
“I am even more disappointed with what this sentence means to other women. This is a failure. It takes the clock back to a time when a woman who speaks and speaks can be publicly humiliated. This cancels out the idea that violence against women should be taken seriously, “she said in a statement posted on her Twitter account.
Depp, who was not in the courtroom on Wednesday, is suing Hurd for defamation in Fairfax County Court for a December 2018 post she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as a “public figure representing domestic violence.” His lawyers said he was slandered by the article, although he never mentioned his name.
While the case allegedly involved defamation, most of the testimonies focused on whether Hurd was physically and sexually abused, as she claims. Hurd listed more than a dozen alleged attacks, including a battle in Australia – where Depp filmed a sequel to “Pirates of the Caribbean” – in which Depp lost the tip of his middle finger, and Hurd said she was sexually abused with a bottle of alcohol.
Depp said he never hit Hurd and that she was the abuser, although Hurd’s lawyers have highlighted text messages from Depp apologizing to Hurd for his behavior for years, as well as obscene texts he sent to a friend Depp says he wants to kill Hurd and desecrate her dead body.
In a sense, the lawsuit was a repeat of a lawsuit filed by Depp in the United Kingdom against a British tabloid after he was described as a “husband’s fighter.” The judge in this case ruled in favor of the newspaper after finding that Hurd was telling the truth in his descriptions of violence.
In the case of Virginia Depp, he had to prove not only that he had never attacked Hurd, but that Hurd’s article – which focuses mainly on public policy on domestic violence – slandered him. He also had to prove that Hurd had written the article with real malice. And in order to seek redress, he had to prove that her article had damaged his reputation, unlike many articles before and after Hurd’s article detailing the charges against him.
Depp, in his latest testimony before the jury, said the trial had given him a chance to clear his name in a way he never allowed in the UK trial.
“Whatever happened, I got here and told the truth and talked about what I was carrying on my back, reluctantly for six years. Depp said.
Hurd, on the other hand, said the trial was a test of an organized defamation campaign led by Depp.
“Johnny promised me – he promised me – that he would ruin my life, that he would ruin my career. He would take my life,” Hurd said in his latest testimony.
The case captivated millions through its television coverage from hammer to hammer and passionate followers on social media who analyzed everything from the manners of the actors to the possible symbolism of what they are wearing. Both performers are coming out of the process with a reputation for rags and unclear career prospects.
Eric Rose, a crisis and communications management expert in Los Angeles, called the process a “classic murder-suicide.”
“From a reputation management perspective, there can be no winners,” he said. “They bled to death. Now it’s getting harder for the studios to hire one of the actors because you’re potentially alienating a lot of your audience, who may not like the fact that you kept Johnny or Amber for a specific project because the feelings are so strong now. “
Depp, a three-time Academy Award nominee for Best Actor, has been a star until recent years. His turn as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean helped turn him into a global franchise, but he lost that role. (Hurd and Depp’s teams blame each other.) He was also cast as the protagonist in the third spin-off of Fantastic Beasts, The Grindelwald Crimes.
Despite indications during the trial that he could be violent, abusive and out of control, Depp received a standing ovation on Tuesday night in London after performing about 40 minutes with Jeff Beck at the Royal Albert Hall. He has previously toured with Joe Perry and Alice Cooper as the Hollywood Vampires.
Hurd’s acting career is more modest and her only two upcoming roles are in a short film and the upcoming sequel to “Aquaman”, which is due out next year.
Depp’s lawyers have struggled to keep the case in Virginia, in part because U.S. law provides some legal advantages over California, where they live. A judge ruled that Virginia was an acceptable forum for the case, as The Washington Post’s print media and online servers were in the county.
Add Comment