Amber Heard Plans to Appeal Verdict in Johnny Depp Case: Everything to Know

Not over yet. Even though a jury ruled in favor of Johnny Depp in his defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard, their legal battle is far from over.

“She is 100 percent appealing on freedom of speech and is telling friends she is determined to take it all the way to the Supreme Court if she has to,” a source told Us Weekly in June 2022 after the verdict was announced. “She is not able to comprehend that she lost.” The insider added that while the Aquaman star has not yet filed the appeal “she is convinced that she will win.”

Depp, who was married to Heard from 2015 to 2017, filed a lawsuit against his Rum Diary costar for defamation, citing an op-ed that she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018. In her essay, Heard revealed that she was a survivor of domestic abuse, though she did not name the Pirates of the Caribbean star in the post. (The news outlet has since added an editor’s note to the article with the trial results.)

After a two-month trial, a jury ruled in favor of Depp, awarding the Kentucky native $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. His punitive award was subsequently reduced to $350,000 due to a Virginia state law that set a cap on the maximum amount that can be awarded.

The Justice League actress was also awarded $2 million after the jury found that Depp’s attorney had made a defamatory statement about her when he alleged that her abuse claims were a hoax.

“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” Heard said in a statement to Us after the verdict was announced. “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband. I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.”

The Magic Mike XXL star continued: “I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly.”

Depp, for his part, released a statement of his own following the jury’s ruling, in which he noted he was “humbled” and pleased with the decision. “From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” he said in a statement to Us. “Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”

Keep scrolling to learn more about Heard’s plans to appeal the verdict: