Amber Heard goes 'offline' in reaction to verdict: 'It sets back the clock'

Distressed actress Amber Heard released a statement after the verdict was handed down in favour of Johnny Depp Wednesday at Fairfax County Court.

Taking to Instagram, the Aquaman actress wrote: “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.”

She continued: “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."

Amber 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.”

Depp also released a statement minutes after the verdict was read in his $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife.

“The jury gave me my life back,” he said, adding later, “Truth never perishes.”

The unanimous decision was delivered after three days of deliberation, bringing an end to the seven-week trial that brought emotional testimony recounting Depp and Heard’s tumultuous relationship and its fallout.