Celebrity
Amber Says Johnny’s Victory Is A ‘Setback For Women’
“I’m sad I lost this case.”
Amber Heard has expressed her disappointment at several issues from the jury’s ruling of $15million in damages for ex-husband Johnny Depp. The 36-Year-Old said the actor’s victory remains a setback for women, especially when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.
“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 stated.
The Aquaman, via her public statement shared on her Instagram, blamed Depp’s legal team, including Camille Vasquez. She added: “I believe Johnny’s attorney 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.” She ultimately considered it a defeat despite being awarded $2M in one of her countersuits.
She concluded: “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.”
Meanwhile, 58-Year-Old Depp has since appreciated the outpouring of love, the colossal support, and kindness from the world through his statement stating how humbled and overwhelmed he is. The actor claimed he hopes his quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women who have found themselves in his situation, and that those supporting them never give up.
Depp added he hopes the position will return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and media.
Despite the jury awarding Depp $15million, the judge reduced the punitive damages to the Virginia maximum of $350K; therefore, the Fantastic Beasts actor will now only receive $8.35million after paying Heard $2milllion. When the verdict was passed, he wasn’t present as he was on tour with guitar legend Jeff Beck in the UK. A source alleged his absence was due to previously scheduled work commitments.
But Heard walked into court wearing a black dress. The actress briefly hugged her lawyers and then exited the courtroom after when the verdict was read out.
Since the trial launched on April 11th, Depp has called 38 witnesses while Heard’s team called 24. The duo gave confessions and evidence for four days each, including a forensic cross-examination from the opposition lawyers. The pair returned to the witness stand to testify for a second time. The jury saw dozens of texts, photos, videos, medical records, and even pages from the former couple’s love journal they had written to each other.
The libel case was so complicated that the verdict sheet had 42 questions [24 for Depp and 18 for Heard] the jury had to answer before passing the verdict.
