The jury in the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard defamation case reached a verdict on Wednesday after six weeks of tabloid headlines. They believed that Heard should be held responsible for her statements about his alleged abuse. The jury took almost 13 hours to reach a decision. Heard got $2 million in her countersuit.
The story is being updated as the jury decision is released.
The case began as a lawsuit between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Heard, for $50 million. In the post, Heard claimed to be a public figure representing domestic abuse, which she believed defamed him. The $100 million counter-sued by Heard was for defamation. Over the course of six weeks, the actors, their lawyers, and a roster of Hollywood talent have been fighting over the charges and allegations. The case brought to light allegations and rumors that the future of Pirates of the Caribbean and Fantastic Beasts were in doubt due to the situation, while Heard claims it impacted her role in the upcoming sequel. According to testimony during the trial, fans of Depp have been trying to get Heard to leave the sequel, leading to a fight between Heard and her co-stars.
There is a huge line of toxic fandom with the case. The trial proceedings for Johnny Depp and Heard have been turned into a playground for weird culture reaction videos, meme's, and abuse from fans, particularly directed towards Heard. It comes at a time when these kinds of vociferous fandom reactions are once again having a distressing reactionary moment, with the Depp/Heard trial concluding just as racist fans attacking Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram have been met with defiant reaction from her co-workers and Lucasfilm in defense.
Will the chaos end now that the court has ruled in favor of Depp? Will the court's decision be good for both sides or bad for them? Is it better for an actor to get back to their previous fame or is it worse? It's a sad case when the public gets to see such a sad, terrible situation play out in the public eye and now it's come to a conclusion.
Do you want more io9 news? Check out when to see the latest movies from Disney and Lucasfilm, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
