JOHNNY DEPP V. AMBER HEARD VERDICT 1 YEAR LATER: A LOOK BACK AT THE OUTCOME AND WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE EXES

The verdict in Johnny Depp's Virginia defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard was revealed on June 1, 2022

One year after the verdict in Johnny Depp's defamation trial against Amber Heard, the exes appear to be moving on with their lives.

On June 1, 2022, a seven-person jury consisting of five men and two women reached a verdict in the Virginia trial, which was televised live and saw testimony from both Depp and Heard, as well as their family, friends, experts and Hollywood industry figures.

The jury sided mostly with Depp, as the Alice in Wonderland actor won all three counts of defamation over a 2018 op-ed Heard wrote about coming forward with domestic abuse claims, though she didn't mention him by name in the article. He was first awarded $15 million in damages, but the judge reduced the amount to $10.35 million due to a Virginia law cap on punitive damages.

Heard won one of her three defamation counterclaims and was awarded $2 million in damages.

Depp, now 59, was not present for the verdict reveal, instead watching from the U.K., where he'd been performing rock concerts with Jeff Beck (who later died in January at age 78). Heard, now 37, showed up in person for the verdict.

Related: Johnny Depp 'Excited' for Comeback, Amber Heard Has 'New Energy' 1 Year After Trial Began: Sources (Exclusive)

In her statement that day, Heard said the "disappointment I feel today is beyond words" and she was "heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband."

Depp, meanwhile, said the jury "gave me my life back." He added at the time: "From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. 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."

After the verdict, the Washington Post amended the online version of Heard's op-ed with a new editor's note.

Heard sat down for an NBC News interview with Savannah Guthrie later in June, where she discussed the trial and said she doesn't "blame" the jury:  "I don't blame them, I actually understand. He's a beloved character and people feel they know him. He's a fantastic actor."

Related: Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard Court Stenographer Says a 'Few' Jurors Fell Asleep Throughout Trial

Then, Heard followed up the trial by appealing the verdict in July, and Depp responded by making his own appeal months later.

By November, more than 140 top organizations and individuals focused on women's rights and domestic violence signed an open letter in support of Heard against "vilification," "ongoing online harassment" and "unprecedented" vitriol. They said the June 1 verdict could have "damaging consequences" for other survivors coming forward.

"In our opinion, the Depp v. Heard verdict and continued discourse around it indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner and sexual violence and how survivors respond to it," they wrote at the time. "The damaging consequences of the spread of this misinformation are incalculable. We have grave concerns about the rising misuse of defamation suits to threaten and silence survivors."

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In December, the actress revealed that she and her ex-husband reached a settlement and they both dropped their appeals.

She said of that "very difficult" decision: "I finally have an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to."

"I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward," added Heard, who, as part of the settlement, would pay Depp $1 million, which his team said he'd donate to charity.

Today, Heard lives in Madrid, Spain, with her 2-year-old daughter Oonagh Paige, and she'll appear in the upcoming sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, in theaters December.

Depp made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival last month, where his French-language film Jeanne Du Barry opened the festival. During a press conference for the film, he addressed whether this will start his Hollywood comeback.

"Do I feel boycotted now?" he said. "No, not at all. But I don't feel boycotted by Hollywood because I don't think about it. I don't think about Hollywood. I don't have much further need for Hollywood myself."

Depp added at the festival in France, "I keep wondering about the word comeback because I didn't go anywhere. As a matter of fact, I live about 45 minutes away. So yeah, maybe people stopped calling out of whatever their fear was at the time. But no, I didn't go nowhere. I've been sitting around."

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2023-06-01T15:39:07Z dg43tfdfdgfd