UPDATE: Jury sides with Depp on lawsuit, Heard on counterclaim

UPDATE: A jury has ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, vindicating his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Heard before and during their brief marriage. The jury also found in favor of Heard, who said she was defamed by Depp’s lawyer when he called her abuse allegations a hoax. Jury members found Depp should be awarded $15 million in damages, while Heard should receive $2 million. Depp sued Heard for libel in Virginia over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” His lawyers said he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.

UPDATE: A jury has ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard. The ruling vindicates his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage. The verdict could help the star rehabilitate his image after a televised trial that turned into a spectacle of a vicious marriage. Depp sued Heard for libel in Virginia court over a 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — The jury says it has reached a verdict in Johnny Depp’s $50 million libel lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, who testified that Depp physically and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.

The jury also has reached a verdict regarding a $100 million counterclaim Heard filed against Depp. Heard said she was defamed when Depp’s lawyer called her abuse allegations a hoax.

The verdicts are expected to be read inside the Virginia court at 3 p.m. To reach a verdict, the seven-person civil jury has to come to a unanimous decision.

Depp accused Heard of libeling him with a 2018 op-ed she wrote describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”