Actor Johnny Depp’s lawyers hinted that the actor may not collect $10.4 million from former wife Amber Heard, following a highly-publicized defamation trial.
“We obviously can’t disclose attorney-client communications, but as Mr. Depp testified … this was never about money for Mr. Depp,” lawyer Ben Chew told “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.
“This was about restoring his reputation — and he’s done that. It was a total win for Johnny.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the Fairfax County, Virginia, jury in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial reached a verdict in the case on June 1. The seven-panel jury ruled in favor of Depp and determined Heard defamed him; he was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
The judge reduced the punitive damages to $350,000 in accordance with Virginia’s statutory cap.
The jury, however, also ruled in Amber Heard’s favor in her countersuit against Johnny Depp and awarded her $2 million in compensatory damages, AP reports.
The questions at issue during the trial were whether Heard’s 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post defamed ex-husband, Depp, and whether Adam Waldman, an attorney who represented Depp at the time, defamed Heard when he called her allegations of abuse “a hoax.”
Depp sued Heard for $50 million over the Post article and Heard countersued for $100 million.
Jurors have listened for six grueling weeks to testimony ranging from psychologists to chauffeurs to former romantic and business partners. Both Depp and Heard sat on the stand for several days each, each accusing the other of abuse in their brief marriage, which ended almost as quickly as it began.
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[Feature Photo: Actor Johnny Depp waves to supporters as he departs the Fairfax County Courthouse Friday, May 27, 2022 in Fairfax, Va. A jury heard closing arguments in Johnny Depp’s high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard. Lawyers for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard made their closing arguments to a Virginia jury in Depp’s civil suit against his ex-wife.(AP Photo/Craig Hudson)]
