Juries considering opposing lawsuits brought by Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are due to meet on Tuesday to continue discussions on whether the actor was defamed and entitled to millions of dollars in damages was.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" star Depp, 58, sued ex-wife Heard for $50 million in Virginia, arguing that he defames her when she called herself "a public figure representing domestic abuse."
Hurd, 36, countered for $100 million, saying Depp defamed her when her attorney called her allegations "hoax."
A seven-member jury deliberated for nearly two hours on Friday before adjourning it to the US Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Depp has denied hitting Heard or any of the women, saying she was the one who turned violent in their relationship.
At the heart of the legal case is a December 2018 opinion by Heard in the Washington Post, in which she made a statement about domestic abuse. Depp was not named in the article, but his attorney told jurors it was clear Heard was referring to him.
Hurd's lawyers argued that he told the truth and that his remarks were included as free speech under the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
Depp and Heard met in 2011 while shooting "The Rum Diary" and married in February 2015. Their divorce was finalized almost two years later.
During the six-week proceedings, jurors listened to recordings of the couple's feud and saw graphic photos of Depp's bloody finger. He said that the upper part of the finger was broken when Heard threw a bottle of vodka at him in 2015.
Sakshi was livestreamed widely on social media, attracting large audiences to hear details about the couple's troubled relationship.
Once one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Depp said Heard's allegations cost him "everything." A new "Pirates" film was shelved, and Depp was replaced in the "Fantastic Beasts" film franchise, a "Harry Potter" spinoff.
Depp lost a defamation suit less than two years ago against the Sun, a British tabloid that labeled her a "wife beater". A judge of the London High Court ruled that he had repeatedly attacked Heard.
Depp's lawyers in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the U.S. Filed the case, because the Washington Post is printed there. The newspaper is not the respondent.