FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Following the culmination of their closely-watched libel trial, both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have made public statements on social media. A jury on Wednesday sided with Depp on his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, while also ruling in Heard's favor on her counterclaim.
Depp's message on Instagram thanked the jury who "gave me my life back" by agreeing that Heard had defamed him by alleging in an Op-Ed piece he had abused her. Heard expressed "disappointment" in her Twitter post.
"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," Heard wrote. "I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women...It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated."
Heard added that she believed Depp's defense team was able to get the jury to overlook freedom of speech and that she was saddened that it appears she has lost her right as an American "to speak freely and openly."
On Instagram, Depp again denied all allegations of abuse and said he was "truly humbled" the jury "gave [him] his life back."
"My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought," Depp wrote.
"From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome," his statement continued. "Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that."
The verdicts bring an end to a televised trial that Depp had hoped would help restore his reputation, though it turned into a spectacle of a vicious marriage.
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.