Johnny Depp reacts: "The jury gave me my life back"
Distressed actress Amber Heard released a statement after Fairfax County Court ruled in favor of Johnny Depp on Wednesday.
Taking to Instagram, the Aquaman actress wrote: "The despair I feel today is beyond words. I grieve that the mountain of evidence was still not enough to withstand my ex-husband's boundless power, influence, and sway.
She continued: "I'm even more disappointed at what this decision means to other women. It's a shock. It sets back a time when a woman who spoke and spoke was publicly shamed and could have been humiliated. It leaves behind the idea that violence against women should be taken seriously."
Amber said: "I believe Johnny's lawyers were successful in getting the jury to ignore the key issue of freedom of speech and ignore the evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK. I'm sorry That I lost the case. But I am still sad that I feel I have lost a right as an American - to speak freely and openly."
Depp also released a statement minutes after he read out the verdict in a $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife.
"The jury gave me my life back," he said later, "the truth never perishes."
The unanimous decision was delivered after three days of deliberation, bringing an end to the seven-week trial, which saw emotional testimony recounting Depp and Heard's turbulent relationship and its aftermath.