Amber Heard is “heartbroken” about the jury’s decision to find her guilty of defamation against ex-husband Johnny Depp, she wrote in a statement following the verdict’s announcement. “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband,” she wrote.
Heard is “even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women.” She called it a “setback” and that it “sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.” The actress continued:
I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK. I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly.
Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages in his defamation suit (which attracted more viewers online than the Better Call Saul midseason finale), while Heard will receive $2 million in compensatory damages.
You can read her statement below:
— Amber Heard (@realamberheard) June 1, 2022
