The jury has come to a verdict in the defamation trial Johnny Depp brought against his now ex-wife, Amber Heard. We will be updating this live as the news breaks.
At 12:02pm (PST), the verdict was expected to be read. But, the Judge ordered lawyers to retire to complete paperwork for compensatory damages. This means that at the very least, the jury has found defamation via unanimous vote. The court took a recess.
12:19pm (PST) the judge has requested the jury to file back into the room.
12:20pm (PST) The jury finds Depp has proven defamation in the case of Heard’s op-eds. Every single instance being read results in a yes.
12:25pm (PST) The jury awards $5 million in punitive damages to Depp from Heard.
12:26pm (PST) The jury finds Heard did prove defamation on behalf of Depp on one count, when Depp’s lawyer called her abuse allegations a hoax. She is awarded $2 million.
The total awarded to Depp is $15 million, both in compensatory and punitive damages. Although Virginia has a cap of $350,000 in damages.
12:30pm (PST) The judge has called for another court date for later this month to fully go over compensatory monies.
Mary Anne Butler
Mary Anne Butler (Mab) has been part of the fast-paced world of journalism since she was 15, getting her start in album reviews and live concert coverage for a nationally published (print) music magazine. She eventually transitioned to online media, writing for such sites as UGO/IGN, ComicsOnline, Geek Magazine, Ace of Geeks, Aggressive Comix (where she is still Editor-in-Chief), Bleeding Cool (where she was News Editor), and now Nerdbot as Editor-In-Chief. Over the past 10 years, she’s built a reputation at conventions across the globe as a cosplayer (occasionally), photographer (constantly), panelist and moderator (mostly), and reporter (always). Interviews, reviews, observations, breaking news, and objective reporting are the name of the game for the founder of Harkonnen Knife Fight, a Dune-themed band with an international presence. Though she be but little, she is fierce.
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