Johnny Depp was in a pub in the North East of England before winning his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard.
The 58-year-old was photographed with musicians Jeff Beck and Sam Fender in a Newcastle pub.
Mr. Depp smiled at photos with customers and staff and was filmed first punching an audience member as he was led out of the room, shaking hands with a man saying “we love you Johnny…I love your bro” as he left.
Amber Heard was in Virginia court for the decision. She says she is regularly abused and threatened with death as a result of the legal proceedings.
Much has happened between the televised hearings and the social media reaction, and a legal expert said it is “almost inevitable” that the dispute still has a long way to go before it’s all over.
So how much has Johnny Depp won?
As it stands, the jury thought Mr Depp should receive $10 million ($14.4 million) in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages†
But the judge said state law capped punitive damages at $350,000, meaning Mr. Depp was awarded $10.35 million.
But it is not a complete victory for Mr. Depp. Mrs. Heard received $2 million dollars for her counterclaim†
And for her charges of defamation, which really relate to Johnny Depp’s attorney and the actions he took on behalf of Johnny, [Ms Heard] got $2 million,” said US attorney Brent Ward.
What are punitive damages?
Punishment damages are intended to: punish a defendant for their actions.
The jury found that not only had Ms Heard made false and defamatory statements, but she also done with “real malice”†
How much is Amber Heard worth? Can she pay the loss?
Speaking strictly in financial terms, it’s hard to know how much Mrs. Heard is worth.
The actor has appeared in dozens of films, including big-budget blockbusters for which she is said to have made millions.
But her wealth is unclear, with much of the figures circulating online based largely on speculation.
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Can Amber Heard appeal the decision?
That is highly likely, according to English lawyer Mark Stephens, who said legal errors may have been made during the case.
“I think it’s almost inevitable that Amber Heard will have to appeal this verdict,” Stephens told ABC.
“There were quite a few legal and procedural errors that the Virginia judge appears to have caused.”
But even if there are errors of law to appeal, Stephens said it would be difficult to overturn the jury’s verdict.
As in Australia, he said appeals courts can only intervene in a verdict if they find that the judge’s decisions seriously undermine the jury’s verdict.
He said that in any case an appeal would be made to adjust the financial damage.
“In this particular case, I think it’s probably the legal issues,” he said.
“And I think American lawyers are about 50-50 split on whether Amber Heard will succeed or not.
“I personally think there will probably be an adjustment to the price.”
He said no one came out unscathed from the massive legal process.
“We will be left in this situation where Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have destroyed their reputation,” he said.
Meanwhile, US legal analyst Neama Rahmani said he has seen no apparent legal error in the case.
“Amber Heard can certainly appeal, but there is no good basis on which to appeal, and if she does, interest on the ruling will increase,” Rahmani said.
“The other problem is that you can’t appeal a factual finding, the jurors find that she acted maliciously, that she lied, that she defamed it.
“You can only appeal a legal error. And I see no obvious legal error on the part of the judge in this case. She called it quite fair, in my opinion.”
How did Johnny Depp’s lawyers convince the jury?
Jurors considered three defamation counts against Amber Heard.
The first count was whether Depp was vilified by the online headline of the op-ed in The Washington Post: “I spoke out against sexual assault — and dealt with the anger of our culture. That has to change.”
Next, the op-ed’s third paragraph read, “Two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic violence, and I felt the full force of our culture’s anger at women who speak out.”
And the third count related to a second passage in the op-ed, where Ms. Heard wrote, “I had the rare vantage point of seeing in real time how institutions protect men accused of abuse.”
As a public figure, Depp faced a high bar to win, but according to seven unanimous judges, he set the bar high.
Stephens said Depp’s lawyers were able to do this by employing a well-known legal strategy known as “DARVO”.
He said it stands for “deny, attack and turn the victim offender†
“Basically, that means denying you’ve done something wrong if you’re the abuser, and saying you’re actually the abused and not the abuser,” he said.
He said judges are well trained to recognize the strategy.
“The main difference is that it rarely works with judges,” he said.
“There have been bank books for years that indicate to watch out for lawyers using this trick. But with regard to juries, very often, more often than not, it is successful.”
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