FAIRFAX, Virginia. (AP) — A jury has reached its conclusion after a sensational six-week trial over Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard’s defamation claims over their volatile and unhappy marriage.
On Friday, a seven-member citizen jury heard closing arguments and deliberated for about two hours before heading out for a long Memorial Day weekend. The jury resumed deliberations in Fairfax County District Court just after 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million, accusing her of defaming him in a 2018 article she wrote describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic violence.” Heard filed a $100 million counterclaim against the Pirates of the Caribbean star after his lawyer called her allegations a hoax. Each blames the other for ruining their careers.
The testimonies contained many sinister details of their short-lived marriage. Hurd verified that Depp physically or sexually abused her more than a dozen times. During his testimony, Depp testified that he never hit Heard, that she made up the accusations of violence, and that she was the one who physically assaulted him several times.
During the closing debate, both sides told the jurors that a verdict in their favor would return their clients to life.
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