Johnny Depp, Amber Heard trial verdict

According to Judge Benny Azcaret, the jury appears to have found at least one party liable, but has not offered monetary damages for which they will rule. Jurors have been instructed to decide whether to file compensatory and punitive damages if they find either party responsible for the defamation.

“When you find one or more defamatory statements, you need to fill out the compensatory damages,” Azcaret told jurors in a public hearing. “It should be at least $1 and get to what you feel the damages should be. For punitive damages, you can put a 0 in there or you can fill it in as we are.”

Depp sued Heard for defamation for $50 million over the course of 2018 in an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post describing herself as a “public figure who represents domestic violence.” Although Depp’s name is not mentioned in the article, he claims that it cost him lucrative acting roles. Heard opposed the $100 million, due to statements made by Depp’s attorney about the abuse allegations. Heard and Depp met in 2009 and were married from 2015 to 2016.

The defamation trial has been underway since April, and jurors have heard more than 100 hours of testimony in all. They heard from dozens of witnesses, including live testimony from Depp and Heard, and deliberated for about 14 hours before reaching a verdict.