At long last, the verdict has finally been returned in the weeks-long Depp Heard Defamation trial. While it will no doubt take weeks if not longer for the surrounding furor to die down, the jury in the trial has found in favor of Johnny Depp, the plaintiff, in the amount of $15 million dollars. So how much does Amber Heard, the defendant, owe to her ex-husband Depp?
The jury in the trial has found that Heard will have to pay a debt of $15 million. This amount is the combination of $10 million in compensatory damages, intended to repay plaintiffs for damages and other incurred losses — lost work or legal fees, for example. Heard must pay an additional $5 million in punitive damages. As the name implies, these are damages in excess of compensation that are meted out as punishment to the defendant.
However, this does not mean Heard will be paying a total of $15 million. The $5 million in punitive damages were awarded by the jury, but the amount is largely symbolic, as Virginia state law limits punitive damages to no more than $350,000. In other words, Depp is only owed a total of $10.35 million.
In addition, Heard was awarded compensatory damages of her own in the case due to her countersuit. While the jury awarded compensation to all three of Depp’s claims, they only awarded damages to one of Heard’s, in the amount of $2 million. Heard received no punitive damages from Depp.
Taking into account the actual damages awarded to each party in the case, and subtracting Heard’s amount from the money she will owe Depp, Heard will owe a total of $8.35 million.