‘Heartbroken’ Amber Heard reacts to verdict, says ‘disappointment I feel today is beyond words’
Amber Heard
Minutes after the jury handed down the verdict in favour of Johnny Depp, Amber Heard expressed disappointment in a statement released on Instagram.
On Wednesday, the jury awarded Johnny Depp $15 million in damages and Amber Heard $2 millionin their defamation lawsuits, but sided far more strongly with the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star following an intense trial involving bitterly contested allegations of sexual violence and domestic abuse.
A “heartbroken” Heard called the verdict a “setback” and said that she is even more disappointed in "what this verdict means for women”.
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. 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. 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. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously."
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The 36-year-old added, “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. 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.”
Depp, who was not in court for the verdict in the high-profile trial, welcomed the verdict.
"The jury gave me my life back," he said. "From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome.
"The best is yet to come, and a new chapter has finally begun."