In a statement released in response to the verdict, the 'Aquaman' star says she's disappointed 'beyond words' and 'even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women.'
- Jun 2, 2022
AceShowbiz - Amber Heard is "disappointed beyond words" after losing her defamation trial against Johnny Depp. Facing a $50 million lawsuit for defamation following the publication of a 2018 piece in The Washington Post in which she alleged she was a victim of domestic abuse but had not named him specifically, the "Aquaman" actress was countersuing her ex-husband for $100 million.
On Wednesday, June 1, however, the jury found that Amber had acted with "malice" and awarded Johnny $15 million in damages. The 35-year-old actress has since released a statement in which she is "heartbroken" for what the verdict could mean for other women.
"The disappointment I feel today is beyond words," she stated. "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. I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women."
Amber, who was married to "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny from 2015 until 2017 and was eventually awarded $2 million in punitive damages, labeled the jury's decision as a "setback" to women's rights.
"It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated," she stressed. "It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously."
"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," she added. "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."
