A jury has ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, vindicating his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage.
The jury has awarded Johnny Depp $15 million in damages, Depp will be ordered to give her $2 million in a counterclaim.
The verdict could help the star rehabilitate his image, at least that's his hope, after a televised trial that turned into a spectacle of a vicious marriage.
Throughout the trial, fans, overwhelmingly on Depp's side, would line up overnight for coveted courtroom seats.
And spectators who couldn't get in would gather on the street to cheer Depp and jeer Heard whenever either appeared outside.
Depp sued Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as ``a public figure representing domestic abuse.'' His lawyers said he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.
Heard says she's "heartbroken" after she lost the trial.
In a statement, Heard said the disappointment she feel today "is beyond words." She goes on to say "It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated."
Heard looked stunned and stared downward as the verdict was read in a Virginia courtroom.