The jury, after a six-week trial featuring claims and counterclaims of domestic abuse, awarded him $10.35 million in damages, in contrast with $2 million awarded to Heard, according to AFP report.
As per a news interview, when asked if Heard will be able to pay up, her attorney Elaine Bredehoft said, "Oh no, absolutely not." She added that the "Aquaman" star wants to appeal the verdict and "has some excellent grounds for it."
Depp sued Heard over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." It is worth noting that Heard did not name Depp in the piece, but he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and sought $50 million in damages.
The 36-year-old Heard countersued for $100 million, saying she was defamed by statements made by Depp's lawyer, Adam Waldman, who told the Daily Mail her abuse claims were a "hoax."
Bredehoft said Depp's legal team worked to "demonize" Heard and suppressed crucial evidence in the trial, preventing the jurors from examining evidence of Depp's alleged abuse. "A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused," she said.
"We had an enormous amount of evidence that was suppressed in this case that was in the UK case," she said. "In the UK case when it came in, Amber won, Mr. Depp lost." The lawyer said the ruling bodes ill for the MeToo movement and will discourage women from reporting sexual harassment and abuse.
"It's a horrible message," Bredehoft said. "It's a significant setback, because that's exactly what it means. "Unless you pull out your phone and you video your spouse or your significant other beating you, effectively you won't be believed."
(With inputs from AFP)
