Since the verdict in his trial with ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp Just showed that He’s Back!
Depp sued Heard for $50 million in damages over a 2018 opinion-editorial essay in The Washington Post in which she claimed she had become a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Although the essay didn’t specifically mention Depp by name, his attorneys claimed it alluded to claims she made against him during their 2016 divorce. Heard countersued for $100 million.
In a Washington Post op-ed published in December 2018, Heard wrote, “Two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.”
After meeting while filming The Rum Diary in 2011, the couple married in February 2015. In May 2016, she filed for divorce and a domestic violence restraining order.
“I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real-time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse,” she wrote in the op-ed, which featured the digital headline: “Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” (She claimed she didn’t write or approve that online headline, but she tweeted a link to the article at the time. It differed from the one used in the print newspaper.)
Depp has been largely persona non grata for the past four years, following her op-ed in the Washington Post in 2018, which was central to the defamation action against her. He entered this trial after losing a defamation action in the UK against The Sun in 2020, in which the judge conceded in his judgment, “I accept [Heard’s] evidence of the nature of the assaults [Depp] committed against her. They must have been terrifying.”
But when the same evidence was presented in a Virginia courtroom, however, the tables were turned. Depp emerged victorious.
The extremely personal six-week trial sparked a media frenzy, the jury found that the former couple “were both abusive to each other,” but Heard’s side was unable to establish that Depp’s abuse was physical. Some members of the jury did not believe many of Heard’s claims of abuse against her ex-husband and she wasn’t sincere in her testimony.
Due to a Virginia law cap on punitive damages, the jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages, but Heard will only be required to pay $10.35 million.
Court TV’s Julia Jenae explained Wednesday, “Reason why jury awarded $5M in punitive damages to #JohnnyDepp but in reality he’ll get much less: Virginia law caps punitive damages at $350K regardless of the verdict, but the jury doesn’t get told about the limit ahead of time.”
Jenae also referred to the Virginia law limiting punitive damages recoverable, which read:
In any action accruing on or after July 1, 1988, including an action for medical malpractice under Chapter 21.1 (§ 8.01-581.1 et seq.), the total amount awarded for punitive damages against all defendants found to be liable shall be determined by the trier of fact. In no event shall the total amount awarded for punitive damages exceed $350,000. The jury shall not be advised of the limitation prescribed by this section. However, if a jury returns a verdict for punitive damages in excess of the maximum amount specified in this section, the judge shall reduce the award and enter judgment for such damages in the maximum amount provided by this section.
Reason why jury awarded $5M in punitive damages to #JohnnyDepp but in reality he’ll get much less:
Virginia law caps punitive damages at $350K regardless of the verdict, but the jury doesn’t get told about the limit ahead of time @CourtTV https://t.co/0Be5ABZFW8 https://t.co/iS8T5ggAEq
— Julia Jenaé (@JuliaCourtTV) June 1, 2022
Depp’s career and finances were in serious trouble when his then-wife Amber Heard accused him of domestic violence in 2016, the reputation of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star had begun to dim since the 2018 Op-ed of Amber heard began.
Depp has been largely persona non grata for the past four years, following her op-ed in the Washington Post in 2018, which was central to the defamation action against her. He entered this trial after losing a defamation action in the UK against The Sun in 2020, in which the judge conceded in his judgment, “I accept [Heard’s] evidence of the nature of the assaults [Depp] committed against her. They must have been terrifying.”
The ruling deals a big blow to Depp’s reputation that could imperil his career; the actor was later fired from his two most high-profile parts — his iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Pirates was dropped, and Depp was Axed From ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Franchise By Warner Bros.
Only Dior maintained an endorsement relationship with Depp that started in 2015, the U.K. Guardian reported.
However, when the same evidence was presented in a Virginia courtroom, the tables were turned. Depp emerged victorious; his reputation was restored and could be making a comeback soon.
According to KXLY-TV, the suspicions were started by web searches connecting Depp’s name to the upcoming movie “Beetlejuice 2.” The sequel is supposed to air in 2025.
Another list of candidates connected to the potential sequel includes Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder.
“I’m in! I’m definitely excited, and I’m really hopeful that it’ll happen,” Ryder, who starred alongside Depp in “Edward Scissorhands,” has said she wants the film to be shot said. “The only way we would do it is if everything was perfect and we had all the people — obviously Michael and obviously Tim.”
The original 1998 Tim Burton-directed movie was about a dead married couple who come back to harass a family they dislike in order to make them leave their former house.
Right I am seeing tweets that #JohnnyDepp will be in #Beetlejuice2 can someone confirm is there going to be another #Beetlejuice dear lord J would LOVE THAT. Winona & Michael K ahhh Beetlejuice 2 would be awesoms if true ? xxx
— ? SMBSLT ? (@smbslt) May 25, 2022
Following Depp’s victorious trial, in a statement, Depp said, “the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”
“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” the actor said, “Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
Throughout the trial, Depp’s popularity far outstripped that of Heard, with pro-Depp hashtags receiving billions of views on social media.
This was true across networks like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, but TikTok received particularly significant support. Depp even joined the short-form video-hosting service after the trial, and now has over 14 million followers. He praised his “most beloved, loyal, and unflinching supporters” in his first and only message, which included a video of himself playing guitar.
Sources: WesternJournal, Theguardian, KXLY-TV
