On June 1, local time, the jury of the Virginia Civil Court in the United States finally gave its final opinion in the defamation case of famous actor Johnny Depp v. his ex-wife Amber Heard after three days of collective discussions. This 2022 Hollywood drama with the most people watching and eating melons has finally come to an end. 
All seven jurors found that Depp was convicted of all three defamation charges against his ex-wife and that Heard had to pay him $15 million in damages. At the same time, Heard countersued Depp on three defamation charges, and one of them was won (that is, one of Depp's publicists slandered her to use the momentum of the feminist movement to benefit herself, so she deceived everyone into saying that she was victimized by her family. violence), so Depp has to pay his ex-wife $2 million in compensation. In the end, Heard was sentenced to pay $10.35 million in compensation to Depp, temporarily putting an end to this Hollywood reputation lawsuit that has been delayed for several years.
Johnny Depp, world-renowned for films such as "Edward Scissorhands" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, became attached to actress Amber Heard in 2012 and officially married in 2015. But only fifteen months later, the marriage ended in divorce. The two did not break up peacefully, but went to the point of going to court to tear their faces.
However, in October 2017, the sexual scandal of Hollywood film tycoon Harvey Weinstein broke out, and the vigorous women's rights movement took off, and a large number of actresses or ordinary practitioners in the American film circle have plucked up the courage to speak out about themselves. unfair treatment suffered.
Against this backdrop, in December 2018, Heard published a signed article in The Washington Post, "Amber Heard: I'm Against Sexual Violence - I've also encountered cyberbullying. This has to change", although the full text did not mention the name of the ex-husband at all, but since he said that he was a "representative of a public figure who was subjected to domestic violence", the target was actually directed at Depp.
Before that, in June 2018, Depp had commissioned a lawyer to take the British tabloid The Sun, which said he "beat his wife" to court. He was determined to defend his reputation, and in early 2019, he also sued his ex-wife in a Virginia court in the United States, targeting her accusation of domestic violence in an article published by the Washington Post. In Depp's view, he was the victim of domestic violence. He even broke his finger by his ex-wife, but now he was beaten down by Amber Heard, so he had to take up legal weapons to defend himself.
In the face of Depp's reputational lawsuit, Heard showed no weakness and filed a countersuit in August 2020, accusing Depp of "initiating a harassment campaign against me through Twitter and organizing a netizen petition in order to hope that "Sea King" ” and the L’Oréal Group terminates its cooperation with me”.
In November 2020, a British court ruled in favor of The Sun because there was "overwhelming evidence" that Depp had indeed beaten Heard many times, so there was nothing wrong with the media's claim of "beating his wife". After the court's verdict, Depp officially bid farewell to the "Fantastic Beasts" series, and was almost blacklisted by Hollywood. There is also widespread speculation that he will lose the lawsuit in the United States next.
So, on April 11 this year, the reputation rights lawsuit that attracted the attention of the United States finally kicked off. Including personal assistants, doctors, bodyguards, brokers, accountants, friends, and relatives of both parties, a large number of witnesses were summoned to appear in court successively. Psychologists, sociology experts and legal experts were also invited to the scene to give their professional opinions. , and the supermodel Kate Moss and actress Ellen Barkin, who have had varying degrees of contact with Depp in the past, also gave various testimonies that were favorable or unfavorable to him.
In the end, the jury unanimously found that Heard's article in the Washington Post was indeed defamatory of his ex-husband.
As soon as the result of the lawsuit came out, Johnny Depp, who was in the UK, immediately expressed his gratitude to the jury for clearing him. "They gave me a new lease of life." In a statement, Depp sighed, "From the beginning, my purpose in fighting this lawsuit was to ask for the truth, and even if I was ultimately judged to lose, I would insist on fighting. This is for my children, and for all those who have always stood by me, I have to tell the truth. I'm very happy to have this result in the end. I also hope that others in similar situations, men and women, will Encouraged by my case, I hope that those who support them will never give up. Most importantly, I hope that the courts and the media will stop doing things before the trial. Before the law is decided, everyone will It's clean."
Hilton, who was at the court at the time of the verdict, left the court without a word in the face of the failure. But soon after, she gave her opinion via social media: "I can't express my disappointment today. It is clear that the evidence is piled up, but it is still not enough to counter the disproportionate power, influence and influence of my ex-husband. It breaks my heart. But it's even more disappointing to think about what this verdict means for other women than my own personal gains and losses. It's a reversal of history and we're back to being outspoken The old days when women were publicly humiliated are returning to the old days when violence against women was not taken seriously."
"For Heard, the verdict is deadly; for Depp, it's a total vindication." Amber Mayer, an expert on honorary rights at the U.S. law firm Withers Will - Brown (Amber Melville-Brown) said in an interview with the media. "And unlike the United Kingdom, this case is tried in the United States by a jury system. The jury has always been regarded as a microcosm of the whole society. Since Johnny Depp can obtain the support of the jury's opinion, it also shows that he has won the public opinion in the court. Victory."
Brett Turnbull, a TV celebrity lawyer from Alabama, also analyzed that the verdict showed that the jury members faced a large amount of evidence and testimony, and analyzed that both Depp and Heard had committed harm. The other party is unpredictable and personal attacks; and what the two say may be mixed with exaggeration, but there is insufficient evidence to say physical abuse or cold violence. Earlier, the defense attorney representing Heard said in his concluding statement that if the jury convicted Heard of defamation, it would be telling victims of domestic violence all over the world, "If you didn't take pictures when you were beaten, If you leave evidence, it means that domestic violence never happened. If you did not go to the hospital to leave an injury certificate after being beaten, it means that you were not injured.”
Finally, if you only look at the career development of the two parties, it is hard not to think that this is actually a lose-lose lawsuit, or more precisely, a lose-lose marriage.
Depp's agent said in court testimony earlier that the "Wall Street Journal" article was a catastrophic blow to Depp's career, and the loss of the opportunity to star in the sixth "Pirates of the Caribbean" series alone would mean a salary of $23 million. Loss. Depp's acting accountant further estimated that Depp lost a total of $40 million in income because of the article by his ex-wife.
On May 26, 2022, local time, Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard face court. People's Vision
Depp loses in UK, wins in USAll seven jurors found that Depp was convicted of all three defamation charges against his ex-wife and that Heard had to pay him $15 million in damages. At the same time, Heard countersued Depp on three defamation charges, and one of them was won (that is, one of Depp's publicists slandered her to use the momentum of the feminist movement to benefit herself, so she deceived everyone into saying that she was victimized by her family. violence), so Depp has to pay his ex-wife $2 million in compensation. In the end, Heard was sentenced to pay $10.35 million in compensation to Depp, temporarily putting an end to this Hollywood reputation lawsuit that has been delayed for several years.
Johnny Depp, world-renowned for films such as "Edward Scissorhands" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, became attached to actress Amber Heard in 2012 and officially married in 2015. But only fifteen months later, the marriage ended in divorce. The two did not break up peacefully, but went to the point of going to court to tear their faces.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" stills
Heard claimed that Depp often subjected her to "verbal and physical abuse" while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. At the same time, some photos of Heard's suspected injury also began to be widely circulated in the media and on the Internet. Depp paid his ex-wife a $7 million settlement, and Heard promised to donate all of the compensation to nonprofit organizations. In a joint statement issued by the two, they also emphasized that they have always loved more than hated, and that they have "never" any intention of physical or emotional harm".However, in October 2017, the sexual scandal of Hollywood film tycoon Harvey Weinstein broke out, and the vigorous women's rights movement took off, and a large number of actresses or ordinary practitioners in the American film circle have plucked up the courage to speak out about themselves. unfair treatment suffered.
Against this backdrop, in December 2018, Heard published a signed article in The Washington Post, "Amber Heard: I'm Against Sexual Violence - I've also encountered cyberbullying. This has to change", although the full text did not mention the name of the ex-husband at all, but since he said that he was a "representative of a public figure who was subjected to domestic violence", the target was actually directed at Depp.
Before that, in June 2018, Depp had commissioned a lawyer to take the British tabloid The Sun, which said he "beat his wife" to court. He was determined to defend his reputation, and in early 2019, he also sued his ex-wife in a Virginia court in the United States, targeting her accusation of domestic violence in an article published by the Washington Post. In Depp's view, he was the victim of domestic violence. He even broke his finger by his ex-wife, but now he was beaten down by Amber Heard, so he had to take up legal weapons to defend himself.
In the face of Depp's reputational lawsuit, Heard showed no weakness and filed a countersuit in August 2020, accusing Depp of "initiating a harassment campaign against me through Twitter and organizing a netizen petition in order to hope that "Sea King" ” and the L’Oréal Group terminates its cooperation with me”.
In November 2020, a British court ruled in favor of The Sun because there was "overwhelming evidence" that Depp had indeed beaten Heard many times, so there was nothing wrong with the media's claim of "beating his wife". After the court's verdict, Depp officially bid farewell to the "Fantastic Beasts" series, and was almost blacklisted by Hollywood. There is also widespread speculation that he will lose the lawsuit in the United States next.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
However, the lawsuit in the United States has shown signs of a turning point in the outside world, because Virginia Judge Penny Azkara soon sent a different signal. Shortly after the British court ruled that Depp lost the case, Amber Heard filed a request with a Virginia court to directly dismiss Depp's defamation case on the grounds that the British court had ruled that Depp was a domestic abuser. There is no doubt that my article in the "Washington Post" is not defamatory at all. But Judge Azcarra rejected Heard's request on the grounds that the two lawsuits are different, one in the UK and the other in the US.So, on April 11 this year, the reputation rights lawsuit that attracted the attention of the United States finally kicked off. Including personal assistants, doctors, bodyguards, brokers, accountants, friends, and relatives of both parties, a large number of witnesses were summoned to appear in court successively. Psychologists, sociology experts and legal experts were also invited to the scene to give their professional opinions. , and the supermodel Kate Moss and actress Ellen Barkin, who have had varying degrees of contact with Depp in the past, also gave various testimonies that were favorable or unfavorable to him.
In the end, the jury unanimously found that Heard's article in the Washington Post was indeed defamatory of his ex-husband.
On May 27, 2022, local time, in Virginia, the United States, Johnny Depp arrived in Fairfax Court for a defamation trial. People's Vision
Depp's victory marks a tilt in public opinionAs soon as the result of the lawsuit came out, Johnny Depp, who was in the UK, immediately expressed his gratitude to the jury for clearing him. "They gave me a new lease of life." In a statement, Depp sighed, "From the beginning, my purpose in fighting this lawsuit was to ask for the truth, and even if I was ultimately judged to lose, I would insist on fighting. This is for my children, and for all those who have always stood by me, I have to tell the truth. I'm very happy to have this result in the end. I also hope that others in similar situations, men and women, will Encouraged by my case, I hope that those who support them will never give up. Most importantly, I hope that the courts and the media will stop doing things before the trial. Before the law is decided, everyone will It's clean."
Hilton, who was at the court at the time of the verdict, left the court without a word in the face of the failure. But soon after, she gave her opinion via social media: "I can't express my disappointment today. It is clear that the evidence is piled up, but it is still not enough to counter the disproportionate power, influence and influence of my ex-husband. It breaks my heart. But it's even more disappointing to think about what this verdict means for other women than my own personal gains and losses. It's a reversal of history and we're back to being outspoken The old days when women were publicly humiliated are returning to the old days when violence against women was not taken seriously."
On June 1, 2022, local time, in Fairfax, Virginia, United States, Amber Heard appeared in court. People's Vision
According to the analysis of legal experts, the judgment scale for defamation lawsuits in the United Kingdom and the United States is somewhat different. According to U.S. law, this time Depp not only has to prove that she never attacked Heard, but also needs to prove that she published the article in the "Washington Post" knowingly to maliciously slander him under the circumstance that it did not match the truth. to win the case. In this case, the jury still found that Depp won the case, indicating that they found that Heard's domestic violence theory could not be supported by 100% evidence."For Heard, the verdict is deadly; for Depp, it's a total vindication." Amber Mayer, an expert on honorary rights at the U.S. law firm Withers Will - Brown (Amber Melville-Brown) said in an interview with the media. "And unlike the United Kingdom, this case is tried in the United States by a jury system. The jury has always been regarded as a microcosm of the whole society. Since Johnny Depp can obtain the support of the jury's opinion, it also shows that he has won the public opinion in the court. Victory."
Brett Turnbull, a TV celebrity lawyer from Alabama, also analyzed that the verdict showed that the jury members faced a large amount of evidence and testimony, and analyzed that both Depp and Heard had committed harm. The other party is unpredictable and personal attacks; and what the two say may be mixed with exaggeration, but there is insufficient evidence to say physical abuse or cold violence. Earlier, the defense attorney representing Heard said in his concluding statement that if the jury convicted Heard of defamation, it would be telling victims of domestic violence all over the world, "If you didn't take pictures when you were beaten, If you leave evidence, it means that domestic violence never happened. If you did not go to the hospital to leave an injury certificate after being beaten, it means that you were not injured.”
Finally, if you only look at the career development of the two parties, it is hard not to think that this is actually a lose-lose lawsuit, or more precisely, a lose-lose marriage.
Depp's agent said in court testimony earlier that the "Wall Street Journal" article was a catastrophic blow to Depp's career, and the loss of the opportunity to star in the sixth "Pirates of the Caribbean" series alone would mean a salary of $23 million. Loss. Depp's acting accountant further estimated that Depp lost a total of $40 million in income because of the article by his ex-wife.
"Sea King" stills
But on Hield's side, she also accused Depp of inciting public opinion and causing her image to be damaged. "Aquaman 2" almost deleted her character entirely. After her desperate lobbying, she was finally retained, but in addition, in the past She has only received one film contract in two years. Of course, DC Pictures President Hamada Walter, who was rumored to appear in court as a witness, said that Heard's reduced role in "Aquaman 2" had nothing to do with her image damage, but the production unit felt that she was the same as the actor who played Aquaman. There is "no call" between Jason Momoa, and the original plot focus of "Aquaman 2" is not on their line.
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