Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard was a civil defamation trial in Fairfax County, Virginia.
In the trial that began on April 11 and ended on June 1, 2022, the plaintiff, actor Johnny Depp, alleged three counts of defamation against defendant Amber Heard, each claiming $50 million in damages. In response, actress Heard filed a counterclaim against Depp, and claimed damages of $100 million.
As one of the high-profile case, the trial was livestreamed, and drew so much attention from both supporters of Depp and Heard, as well as the general public.
At first, many suggested that Depp had a weaker chance of winning, considering that in the U.S., the free speech protections are strong.
But in the end, the ruling concluded that it was actually Heard who had defamed Depp, and awarded Depp with $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from Heard. The punitive damages were reduced to $350,000 due to a limit imposed by Virginia state law.
As for Heard's counterclaim, the jury found that one of the three statements by Depp's lawyer had defamed Heard with actual malice, and thus awarded $2 million in compensatory damages and zero in punitive damages to Heard from Depp.
Winning the trial, Depp said that the "jury gave me my life back," while Heard called it a "setback" for women.
While most of the decisions happened in court, people from around the world were glued to their screens, seeing the trial between the two, with heated comments and arguments happening on YouTube, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.
People were posting clips of the trial, and many were edited them to create memes as well compilations or reaction videos, with multiple such videos going viral.
Most people were supporting Depp, seen from the fact that many were making fun of Heard.
In many of the viral videos and photos, Depp was portrayed as smiling, happy, or making other laugh, whereas Heard is either pictured angry or crying.
Other viral videos where users act out Heard's testimony, or make "aroused facial expressions" over her testimony of sexual abuse.
Supporters of Depp used hashtags like #JusticeForJohnnyDepp. On social media platforms, the hashtag has garnered millions of interactions and videos tagged with it have billions of combined views.
The virality of the case was so huge, that news articles were said generating more social media interactions per article in the U.S. than all other significant news topics, even way above the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The trial was also significantly higher than that of the trial of Derek Chauvin in June 2021.
Read: Johnny Depp's Defamation Case With 'Amber Turd' And #MePoo
Everything began when Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had a romantic relationship in 2012, and married in 2015.
A year later, in 2016, Heard filed for divorce and obtained a temporary restraining order, alleging that Depp was physically abusing her.
Things got more intense in 2018, when Depp filed a lawsuit against the publishers of British tabloid The Sun for libel over an article that said how a "wife beater" like Johnny Depp can be cast as a character in the Fantastic Beasts film. Unfortunately for Depp, the court rejected the claims.
Then, Heard put gasoline to fire, by publishing an op-ed in The Washington Post that did not name Depp, but stated that Heard "became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out."
Escalated to the point of no return, Depp filed his defamation lawsuit against Heard, blaming that the article damaged his reputation and career, and causing him to sustain extensive financial losses.[
When Depp won, Heard's side intends to appeal the decision, partly because Heard cannot afford the loss, and has no money to pay Depp.
"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," Heard said.
"I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback," she added. "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."
Among Depp's many supporters in the case, was Donald Trump Jr.
The eldest son of former President Donald Trump shared an Instagram post that said that "Depp will always be remembered as the first man to win an argument with a woman."
Before this, Trump Jr. had offered some of his thoughts, including how Depp's victory should end of the MeToo era.
"Believe all women... except Amber Heard," he said.
Not long after his victory, Johnny Depp also created an account on TikTok, and posted his first message.
Through his post, the star gratefully thanked his "loyal" fans.
His first upload on the social media site was a montage of his recent music touring with Jeff Beck, with the caption, "To all of my most treasured, loyal and unwavering supporters. We've been everywhere together, we have seen everything together. We have walked the same road together. We did the right thing together, all because you cared."
"And now, we will all move forward together," he continued. "You are, as always, my employers and once again I am whittled down to no way to say thank you, other than just by saying thank you. So, thank you. My love & respect, JD." Depp has so far gained 4.6 million TikTok followers.
In response to Depp's post, a spokesperson for Amber Heard, said that, "As Johnny Depp says he's 'moving forward,' women's rights are moving backward. The verdict's message to victims of domestic violence is [...] be afraid to stand up and speak out."
In June 2023, Amber Heard has finally ponied up the $1 million she owed ex-husband Johnny Depp after losing a nationally-televised defamation trial in Virginia.
In the culmination of the courtroom battle that ended in June 2022, Deep agreed to settle the case last December for $1 million, which was paid by Heard's insurance company.
Upon receiving the money, it is said that Depp is donating them all.
The payment appears to be the final chapter in the warring exes' protracted divorce and subsequent legal battles that have lasted more than seven years.
After the trial, Heard relocated with her young daughter to Madrid, Spain.
"I love Spain so much," Heard said.
And she was aske whether she planned to stay in the country, she said "yes."
"Yes, I hope so. Yes, I love living here," she replied.