Tag: Amber Heard

  • Amber Heard to pay USD 1 million to Johnny Depp in legal settlement

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Actress Amber Heard will pay Hollywood star and former husband Johnny Depp $1 million to settle their long-running legal battle, in which each accused the other of domestic violence.

    The sum is a significant reduction from the $8.35 million she was ordered to pay after a six-week trial in Virginia earlier this year. The payment is expected to come from her insurance carrier, reports ‘Variety’.

    In a statement, Depp’s attorneys said that he would donate the money to charity. His attorneys have previously said that the case was “never about the money” for Depp. In her own statement, Heard said she had “lost faith in the American legal system.”

    She also said that the settlement spares her the ordeal of further litigation and allows her to finally “emancipate” herself from their marriage.

    Depp originally filed a $50 million defamation claim against Heard in March 2019 after she published an op-ed in the ‘Washington Post’ in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”.

    At the trial, each actor testified for several days, revealing lurid details of drug abuse and screaming matches. Their testimony was streamed live on YouTube and remixed endlessly on TikTok and Facebook.

    Heard alleged that Depp repeatedly assaulted her, choked her and once raped her with a liquor bottle. She often broke down in sobs during her testimony.

    Depp, meanwhile, alleged that Heard was the aggressor in the relationship, and that he would try to retreat whenever she became violent. The couple had made audio recordings of their arguments during their marriage, and each side played clips they had selected to try to corroborate their accounts.

    The seven-person jury ruled in Depp’s favor on three separate claims of defamation, awarding him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The latter sum was knocked down to $350,000 to comply with a statutory cap.

    In a small consolation to Heard, the jury also found in her favour in one of her three counterclaims, finding Depp liable for a statement made by his attorney in which Heard was accused of perpetrating a “hoax”. Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2 million, leaving a net judgment of $8.35 million in Depp’s favour.

    The following month, Heard filed a notice of appeal, with her attorney citing “errors” made by the court. However, the “Aquaman” actor has now agreed to withdraw her appeal.

    In a statement posted on Instagram announcing the decision, Heard made clear that “There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward” and blasted the US legal system for turning her testimony into “entertainment and social media fodder”.

    She also compared her experience of the US legal system to the UK, where Depp sued British tabloid The Sun in 2020 for calling him a “wife beater” in an article. Heard was a chief witness for The Sun.

    In that case, the judge called the allegations “substantially true” and found in favour of The Sun.

    In a statement, representatives for Depp said they were pleased with the outcome, and emphasized that the jury’s verdict still stands.

    “We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light,” said Depp’s attorneys Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez. “The jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp’s favour against Ms. Heard remains fully in place. The payment of $1 million – which Mr. Depp is pledging and will (actually) donate to charities – reinforces Ms. Heard’s acknowledgement of the conclusion of the legal system’s rigorous pursuit for justice.”

    Heard first levelled her abuse allegations against Depp in 2016, in the course of her divorce from the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star. She later received $7 million in a settlement and the couple agreed not to speak of the matter again, signing non-disparagement and non-disclosure agreements.

    LOS ANGELES: Actress Amber Heard will pay Hollywood star and former husband Johnny Depp $1 million to settle their long-running legal battle, in which each accused the other of domestic violence.

    The sum is a significant reduction from the $8.35 million she was ordered to pay after a six-week trial in Virginia earlier this year. The payment is expected to come from her insurance carrier, reports ‘Variety’.

    In a statement, Depp’s attorneys said that he would donate the money to charity. His attorneys have previously said that the case was “never about the money” for Depp. In her own statement, Heard said she had “lost faith in the American legal system.”

    She also said that the settlement spares her the ordeal of further litigation and allows her to finally “emancipate” herself from their marriage.

    Depp originally filed a $50 million defamation claim against Heard in March 2019 after she published an op-ed in the ‘Washington Post’ in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”.

    At the trial, each actor testified for several days, revealing lurid details of drug abuse and screaming matches. Their testimony was streamed live on YouTube and remixed endlessly on TikTok and Facebook.

    Heard alleged that Depp repeatedly assaulted her, choked her and once raped her with a liquor bottle. She often broke down in sobs during her testimony.

    Depp, meanwhile, alleged that Heard was the aggressor in the relationship, and that he would try to retreat whenever she became violent. The couple had made audio recordings of their arguments during their marriage, and each side played clips they had selected to try to corroborate their accounts.

    The seven-person jury ruled in Depp’s favor on three separate claims of defamation, awarding him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The latter sum was knocked down to $350,000 to comply with a statutory cap.

    In a small consolation to Heard, the jury also found in her favour in one of her three counterclaims, finding Depp liable for a statement made by his attorney in which Heard was accused of perpetrating a “hoax”. Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2 million, leaving a net judgment of $8.35 million in Depp’s favour.

    The following month, Heard filed a notice of appeal, with her attorney citing “errors” made by the court. However, the “Aquaman” actor has now agreed to withdraw her appeal.

    In a statement posted on Instagram announcing the decision, Heard made clear that “There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward” and blasted the US legal system for turning her testimony into “entertainment and social media fodder”.

    She also compared her experience of the US legal system to the UK, where Depp sued British tabloid The Sun in 2020 for calling him a “wife beater” in an article. Heard was a chief witness for The Sun.

    In that case, the judge called the allegations “substantially true” and found in favour of The Sun.

    In a statement, representatives for Depp said they were pleased with the outcome, and emphasized that the jury’s verdict still stands.

    “We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light,” said Depp’s attorneys Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez. “The jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp’s favour against Ms. Heard remains fully in place. The payment of $1 million – which Mr. Depp is pledging and will (actually) donate to charities – reinforces Ms. Heard’s acknowledgement of the conclusion of the legal system’s rigorous pursuit for justice.”

    Heard first levelled her abuse allegations against Depp in 2016, in the course of her divorce from the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star. She later received $7 million in a settlement and the couple agreed not to speak of the matter again, signing non-disparagement and non-disclosure agreements.

  • Amber Heard appeals Johnny Depp defamation verdict six months after trial

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Hollywood actor Amber Heard has appealed the USD 10 million Johnny Depp defamation verdict in the Virginia court, less than a month after the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor filed his own appeal.

    According to Deadline, an online entertainment news website, Amber has replaced most of her legal team and the new team is flying the flag of the First Amendment and taking trial court Judge Penney Azcarate to task six months after a jury ruled that Heard was liable of defaming her ex-husband.

    In documents obtained by E! News, a USA-based entertainment news outlet, Heard stated that the verdict “undoubtedly will have a chilling effect on other women who wish to speak about abuse involving powerful men.”

    The document also noted that “even if this Court were to disagree with all of the foregoing, the jury’s award to Depp of USD 10 million in compensatory damages and USD 5 million in punitive damages (statutorily reduced to USD 350,000) clearly is excessive given the narrow time-frame for which Depp could recover.”

    Depp’s 2020 libel case against The Sun was also referenced in Heard’s appeal. He had sued the British tabloid newspaper over an article in which he was labelled a “wife beater.”

    ALSO READ | Wrong juror turned up at Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial?

    The ‘Aquaman’ actor states that their defamation case should’ve never made it to the courtroom because a High Court judge ruled against Depp.

    “Another court had already concluded that Depp abused Heard on multiple occasions… After Depp filed this case, the United Kingdom High Court of Justice ruled in a separate defamation action brought by Depp that Heard’s abuse allegations were true,” the document read, reported E! News.

    The US lawsuit took place in a courtroom in Fairfax, Virginia, during the course of April and May of 2022. It was based on the allegation that Heard had defamed Depp by referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” in a 2018 op-ed for the Washington Post.

    Although the op-ed did not specifically refer to Depp, the actor claimed it harmed his reputation and wrecked his career. Heard and Depp separated a year before the op-ed was published, following two years of marriage, with Heard stating that Depp had subjected her to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse during their relationship.

    Heard’s lawyers had previously asked Judge Penney Azcarate to set aside the US trial’s verdict for several reasons, including the allegation that one of the jurors showed up to the trial despite never receiving a summons, reported Variety. That request had been denied by the judge.

    WASHINGTON: Hollywood actor Amber Heard has appealed the USD 10 million Johnny Depp defamation verdict in the Virginia court, less than a month after the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor filed his own appeal.

    According to Deadline, an online entertainment news website, Amber has replaced most of her legal team and the new team is flying the flag of the First Amendment and taking trial court Judge Penney Azcarate to task six months after a jury ruled that Heard was liable of defaming her ex-husband.

    In documents obtained by E! News, a USA-based entertainment news outlet, Heard stated that the verdict “undoubtedly will have a chilling effect on other women who wish to speak about abuse involving powerful men.”

    The document also noted that “even if this Court were to disagree with all of the foregoing, the jury’s award to Depp of USD 10 million in compensatory damages and USD 5 million in punitive damages (statutorily reduced to USD 350,000) clearly is excessive given the narrow time-frame for which Depp could recover.”

    Depp’s 2020 libel case against The Sun was also referenced in Heard’s appeal. He had sued the British tabloid newspaper over an article in which he was labelled a “wife beater.”

    ALSO READ | Wrong juror turned up at Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial?

    The ‘Aquaman’ actor states that their defamation case should’ve never made it to the courtroom because a High Court judge ruled against Depp.

    “Another court had already concluded that Depp abused Heard on multiple occasions… After Depp filed this case, the United Kingdom High Court of Justice ruled in a separate defamation action brought by Depp that Heard’s abuse allegations were true,” the document read, reported E! News.

    The US lawsuit took place in a courtroom in Fairfax, Virginia, during the course of April and May of 2022. It was based on the allegation that Heard had defamed Depp by referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” in a 2018 op-ed for the Washington Post.

    Although the op-ed did not specifically refer to Depp, the actor claimed it harmed his reputation and wrecked his career. Heard and Depp separated a year before the op-ed was published, following two years of marriage, with Heard stating that Depp had subjected her to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse during their relationship.

    Heard’s lawyers had previously asked Judge Penney Azcarate to set aside the US trial’s verdict for several reasons, including the allegation that one of the jurors showed up to the trial despite never receiving a summons, reported Variety. That request had been denied by the judge.

  • Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial movie to air on streaming platform

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: The controversial defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is the subject of a new movie, ‘Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial’, set to debut exclusively on the free Tubi streaming service.

    The film stars Mark Hapka (Parallels’, ‘Days of Our Lives’) as Depp and Megan Davis (‘Alone in the Dark’) as Heard. It is set to premiere on Friday, September 30, on Fox’s Tubi.

    According to a report by Variety, Melissa Marty will join Hapka and Davis as Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez and Mary Carrig will portray Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft.

    ‘Hot Take’ follows the tumultuous relationship — in and out of court — of Depp and Heard, dramatizing the two-month defamation trial that concluded on June 1, with the jury finding that Heard had defamed Depp by alluding to domestic violence allegations against him in a December 2018 op-ed piece.

    The jury also held Depp liable for a defamatory statement made about Heard by his lawyer

    ‘Hot Take’ comes from Fox Entertainment’s MarVista Entertainment. The film is written by Guy Nicolucci and directed by Sara Lohman.

    The movie was fast-tracked into production by Tubi and MarVista “to capture a timely take on a story that became part of the cultural zeitgeist, painting a unique picture of what millions watched play out in the headlines over the summer,” Adam Lewinson, Tubia’s chief content officer, said in a statement.

    ‘Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial’ is one of many timely, culturally relevant original movies to come from our expanding partnership and slate of movies being produced in collaboration with Tubi,” said Hannah Pillemer, EVP creative of affairs for MarVista.

    “Connecting viewers to stories with this kind of social currency and topicality make watching them a must for any fan of pop culture or celebrity drama.”

    The film is executive produced by Brittany Clemons, Angie Day, Marianne C. Wunch, Hannah Pillemer and Fernando Szew. Autumn Federici and Kristifor Cvijetic serve as producers under their Ninth House banner.

    LOS ANGELES: The controversial defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is the subject of a new movie, ‘Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial’, set to debut exclusively on the free Tubi streaming service.

    The film stars Mark Hapka (Parallels’, ‘Days of Our Lives’) as Depp and Megan Davis (‘Alone in the Dark’) as Heard. It is set to premiere on Friday, September 30, on Fox’s Tubi.

    According to a report by Variety, Melissa Marty will join Hapka and Davis as Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez and Mary Carrig will portray Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft.

    ‘Hot Take’ follows the tumultuous relationship — in and out of court — of Depp and Heard, dramatizing the two-month defamation trial that concluded on June 1, with the jury finding that Heard had defamed Depp by alluding to domestic violence allegations against him in a December 2018 op-ed piece.

    The jury also held Depp liable for a defamatory statement made about Heard by his lawyer

    ‘Hot Take’ comes from Fox Entertainment’s MarVista Entertainment. The film is written by Guy Nicolucci and directed by Sara Lohman.

    The movie was fast-tracked into production by Tubi and MarVista “to capture a timely take on a story that became part of the cultural zeitgeist, painting a unique picture of what millions watched play out in the headlines over the summer,” Adam Lewinson, Tubia’s chief content officer, said in a statement.

    ‘Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial’ is one of many timely, culturally relevant original movies to come from our expanding partnership and slate of movies being produced in collaboration with Tubi,” said Hannah Pillemer, EVP creative of affairs for MarVista.

    “Connecting viewers to stories with this kind of social currency and topicality make watching them a must for any fan of pop culture or celebrity drama.”

    The film is executive produced by Brittany Clemons, Angie Day, Marianne C. Wunch, Hannah Pillemer and Fernando Szew. Autumn Federici and Kristifor Cvijetic serve as producers under their Ninth House banner.

  • Amber Heard’s sister calls MTV disgusting over Johnny Depp’s appearance

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Actress Amber Heard’s sister has slammed MTV for featuring Hollywood star Johnny Depp in its 2022 Video Music Awards.

    Depp floated as a spaceman in a recurring sketch and made a joke apparently referencing the conclusion of the case, marking the ‘Dead Man’ actor’s first TV appearance since the end of his six-week defamation trial against Heard, reports aceshowbiz.com.

    “@MTV you’re disgusting and clearly desperate! I really hope that none of the people that made this call have daughters,” Whitney Heard took to social media to voice her rage over his appearance.

    She also shared another message on her Instagram Story in which she said, “I stand with Amber Heard”, alongside an image that renamed the event the ‘DVMAs’, in an apparent reference to domestic violence.

    Depp’s pre-recorded skit involved him dressing up as MTV’s iconic Moonman logo, with the 59-year-old’s face apparently superimposed in the space suit.

    He said in a voiceover: “I just want you guys to know that I’m available for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes, any old thing you need. And you know what? I needed the work.”

    His joke was taken as a reference to his claims he struggled to get jobs in Hollywood amid the fallout from his divorce from Heard.

    Depp, who has won five MTV Movie Awards, sued Amber Heard in February 2019 over her December 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post in which he said she labelled him a domestic abuser even though the article did not name him.

    She countersued him in August 2020, with their defamation trial in Virginia ending with Depp being awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from the 36-year-old actress.

    LOS ANGELES: Actress Amber Heard’s sister has slammed MTV for featuring Hollywood star Johnny Depp in its 2022 Video Music Awards.

    Depp floated as a spaceman in a recurring sketch and made a joke apparently referencing the conclusion of the case, marking the ‘Dead Man’ actor’s first TV appearance since the end of his six-week defamation trial against Heard, reports aceshowbiz.com.

    “@MTV you’re disgusting and clearly desperate! I really hope that none of the people that made this call have daughters,” Whitney Heard took to social media to voice her rage over his appearance.

    She also shared another message on her Instagram Story in which she said, “I stand with Amber Heard”, alongside an image that renamed the event the ‘DVMAs’, in an apparent reference to domestic violence.

    Depp’s pre-recorded skit involved him dressing up as MTV’s iconic Moonman logo, with the 59-year-old’s face apparently superimposed in the space suit.

    He said in a voiceover: “I just want you guys to know that I’m available for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes, any old thing you need. And you know what? I needed the work.”

    His joke was taken as a reference to his claims he struggled to get jobs in Hollywood amid the fallout from his divorce from Heard.

    Depp, who has won five MTV Movie Awards, sued Amber Heard in February 2019 over her December 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post in which he said she labelled him a domestic abuser even though the article did not name him.

    She countersued him in August 2020, with their defamation trial in Virginia ending with Depp being awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from the 36-year-old actress.

  • Documentary on Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial set for digital debut

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: A new documentary on the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial by NBC News is set to make its debut on the digital platform.

    Titled ‘A Marriage on Trial: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and Truth in the Age of Social Media’, the documentary will debut on NBC News Now and will be available for streaming on demand on NBCNews.com and Peacock, reports Variety.

    As per NBC News’ description for the 30-minute documentary, “The Depp vs Heard defamation trial evoked two distinct reactions — those who couldn’t get enough and those who received more than they wanted.

    “The new deep-dive documentary explores why the trial overwhelmed social media, specifically TikTok, and what viewers missed if social media coverage was their only news source. In the wake of a verdict that surprised legal experts, NBC News examines how the trial evolved into a TikTok trial and what the verdict means for future domestic abuse cases.”

    Featured interviews in the documentary include that of Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence CEO Ruth Glenn, American University law professor and gender violence expert Jamie Abrams, NBC News senior breaking news reporter Doha Madani, NBC News tech and culture reporter Kat Tenbarge, and People Magazine’s Nigel Smith, among others.

    ‘A Marriage on Trial: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and Truth in the Age of Social Media’ is produced by the NBC News Digital Docs unit.

  • Wrong juror turned up at Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial?

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: The drama surrounding Johnny Depp’s multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife and ‘Aquaman’ star Amber Heard, refuses to die. The things have turned judicially weird, as a wrong juror took the chair during the legal proceedings, reports ‘Deadline’.

    A partially redacted new filing by the Aquaman star’s legal team, accessed by ‘Deadline’, read, “Ms. Heard had a right to rely on the basic protection, as prescribed by the Virginia Code, that the jurors in this trial would be individuals who were actually summoned for jury duty.”

    “In this case, it appears that Juror No. 15 was not, in fact, the same individual as listed on the jury panel,” attorney Elaine Bredehoft added in language similar to a previous filing of June 24.

    “Ms. Heard’s due process was therefore compromised. Under these circumstances, a mistrial should be declared, and a new trial ordered.”

    According to ‘Deadline’, unlike the previous motion and memorandum placed in the Fairfax County courthouse docket late last month to dismiss the June 1 verdict and allow a new trial, today’s supplemental memo has a lot more details on what could snatch victory from Depp in his long legal battle with his ex-wife.

    According to the redacted filing, accessed by ‘Deadline’, the summons for jury duty was sent out to a Virginia resident in April for the much-delayed $15 million defamation action Depp had set off in March 2019 against Heard for a 2018 ‘Washington Post’ op-ed she penned on being the “public face” of domestic abuse.

    Also, according to the recent filing, it seems that there are two individuals residing at the same address with, at the very least, “the same last name” – one a 77-year-old and another a 52-year-old.

    The former was the one summoned, but it looks like the latter was the one who showed up. “Thus, the 52-year-old [redacted] sitting on the jury for six weeks was never summoned for jury duty on April 11 and did not ‘appear in the list’, as required,” the filing asserts.

    Not noticed by officers or clerks of the court, the younger individual made it all the way to the jury without apparently ever being asked to produce any ID, or with perhaps fake ID, the filing implies. Additionally, it looks like someone filled out the required online information form either intentionally or accidentally to say that they were born in 1945.

    Unaware of this at the time and during the media-frenzied trial, Heard’s defence team now wants an explanation and to see some consequences, which could take the shine off Team Depp.

  • Netflix will finance Johnny Depp’s King Louis XV film, his comeback post-defamation trial

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: Streaming giant Netflix is helping finance Hollywood star Johnny Depp’s movie comeback following his much-publicised defamation trial against ex-wife and actress Amber Heard that he eventually won.

    According to aceshowbiz.com, the 59-year-old will portray King Louis XV in the French-language film ‘La Favorite’, which was previously reported to be titled ‘Jeanne du Barry’. Netflix has acquired the rights to stream the film in France, people familiar with the deal tell Bloomberg.

    The acquisition of the film’s rights will be used by the producers to help finance the production. Under the deal, the period piece will be hitting the streamer 15 months following its theatrical release. Netflix, however, does not have the rights to stream the movie in other territories and is not involved in the making of the picture.

    Directed by Maiwenn Le Besco, ‘La Favorite’ will tell the story of Jeanne Becu, an impoverished seamstress who rises through the ranks of Louis XV’s court to become his official mistress. Le Besco also stars as Jeanne Becu. Though the real Louis XV ruled over France for nearly 59 years, he “died as an unpopular king…accused of corruption and debauchery,” Variety wrote in January.

    Filming is scheduled to start later this summer across France and will last for about three months. The movie is expected to be ready for theatrical release in the country in 2023.

    ‘La Favorite’ will mark Depp’s first acting role since he won the defamation case.

    ALSO READ | Amber Heard’s attorney urges court to toss out defamation trial verdict

    ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’ star was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages after the jury found his ex-wife Heard guilty of defaming him. The same jury awarded $2 million to the ‘Aquaman’ actress who made similar claims against Depp.

    Depp’s last film was ‘Minamata’, which was released in the U.S. late last year. In November 2020, he withdrew from ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’, in which he was supposed to reprise his role as Grindelwald, and was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen after losing his UK libel case against The Sun.

  • Amber Heard’s attorney urges court to toss out defamation trial verdict

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Amber Heard wants the verdict of the defamation trial against her ex-husband Johnny Depp to be tossed out. The ‘Aquaman’ actress’s attorney filed a motion requesting that including the $10.35 million in damages awarded to Depp by the jury, reports Variety.

    In addition to Heard’s attorneys arguing that the verdict is not supported by evidence, the 43-page document submitted to the Fairfax County Circuit Court also calls “to investigate improper juror service”, ‘Variety’ adds.

    It claimed that public information indicates that a juror who served during the trial was born in 1970, despite court officials listing the person’s birth year as 1945.

    Heard’s lawyers wrote, “This discrepancy raises the question whether Juror 15 actually received a summons for jury duty and was properly vetted by the court to serve on the jury.”

    Variety notes that Heard’s legal team also argues that the jurors’ $10.35 million award against the actress is “inconsistent and irreconcilable” with the jury’s conclusion that both her and Depp had defamed one another.

    In addition to Depp’s $10 million in compensatory damages, plus $350,000 in punitive damages, the jury also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages for her counterclaim.

    Heard’s attorneys further wrote in the filing that “Mr. Depp presented no evidence that Ms. Heard did not believe she was abused. Therefore, Mr. Depp did not meet the legal requirements for actual malice, and the verdict should be set aside.”

    Depp’s lead attorney, Ben Chew, commented on the motion to toss the verdict, dismissing it as “what we expected, just longer, no more substantive” in a statement to ‘Courthouse News’.

  • Disney’s reported USD 300 million offer is ‘made up’, says Johnny Depp’s rep

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Johnny Depp has not been offered an apology deal worth $300 million. One of the representatives of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star has denied the existence of any such deal saying, “This is made up,” reports NBC News.

    A media report had earlier said that after Depp won his defamation suit against Amber Heard, Disney offered the deal plus an apology letter to Depp with the request to return to the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise.

    ALSO READ | Johnny Depp celebrates Amber Heard trial win, spends Rs 48 lakhs at Indian restaurant in Birmingham

    The NBC News report further states that Depp, who has played Captain Jack Sparrow in all the five ‘Pirates’ movies, the latest being the 2017 film ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’, has declined to be part of the franchise irrespective of how lucrative the offer is. The actor had made the statement in court.

    At one point during the trial, Heard’s attorney Ben Rottenborn asked the actor, “The fact is, Mr Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film? Correct?”

    Depp replied in the affirmative, “That is true, Mr. Rottenborn.”

    ALSO READ | Judge makes jury’s USD 10.3 million award official in Depp-Heard trial

    A Virginia jury later ruled that Heard was liable for defaming Depp. The jury awarded $10 million to Depp in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

    The Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate later reduced the punitive damages to $350,000, which is the state’s statutory cap or legal limit, making his total damages less than $10.4 million.

    Back in May, ‘Pirates’ producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who is now working on two more films, was asked if Depp would be back for future projects. He told ‘The Sunday Times’, “Not at this point. The future is yet to be decided.”

  • Judge makes jury’s USD 10.3 million award official in Depp-Heard trial

    By Associated Press

    ALEXANDRIA: The judge in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial made a jury’s award official Friday with a written order for Heard to pay Depp USD10.35 million for damaging his reputation by describing herself as a domestic abuse victim in an op-ed piece she wrote.

    Judge Penney Azcarate entered a judgment order into the court record after a brief hearing in Fairfax County Circuit Court. She also ordered Depp to pay Heard USD 2 million, the jury’s award on her counterclaim that Heard was defamed by one of Depp’s lawyers.

    The order was a formality after the jury announced its verdict on June 1, largely siding with Depp after a sensational trial in which the couple revealed lurid details of their short marriage during a televised trial that was closely followed on social media.

    Depp sued Heard over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” The jury found in Depp’s favour on all three of his claims relating to specific statements in the 2018 piece.

    The jury found Depp should receive USD 10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, but the judge reduced the punitive damages award to $350,000 under a state cap.

    Heard has said she plans to appeal the verdict.

    During Friday’s hearing, the judge said that if Heard appeals, she must post a bond for the full amount of the USD 10.35 million award while the appeal is pending — a common practice. The judge’s order says both awards are subject to 6% interest per year.