Johnny Depp awarded $15m in damages as he wins defamation suit against Amber Heard

Hollywood star Johnny Depp has been awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages as he won the defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

After seven weeks of bombshell testimony in the $100 million Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation trial, a jury in Fairfax, Virginia has ruled in favour of the Pirates of The Caribbean star.

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.

Johnny Depp released a statement minutes after the verdicts were read in his $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

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

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.” 

Judge Penney Azcarate brought the jury in at 3 p.m. to announce the verdict at the Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia where the trial has been ongoing for seven weeks.