On Tuesday, the jury in Johnny Depp’s case against Amber Heard split without reaching an unanimous decision about whether or not the actor was defamed during his marriage.
Five men and two women were among the seven jurors who began deliberating Friday after six weeks of proceedings at Fairfax, Virginia, near Washington.
However, after more than nine hours of discussions, no decision has been reached. They will continue their deliberations Wednesday morning.
Johnny Depp flew to Britain after Friday's debates were over to take part in the Sunday and Monday concerts of Briton Jeff Beck in Sheffield, London, and Monday.
Amber Heard spokeswoman, however, declined to confirm that Amber Heard would be present at the announcement of the verdict. On Tuesday, the hundreds of Johnny Depp fans who had gathered outside the court were also missing.
The debates were filmed live on TV and shed light on their daily lives. Star of "Pirates of the Caribbean", the ex-wife of the star of the show is suing him for defamation. She wrote in a Washington Post column in 2018 that he was "a public figure representing domestic abuse", but did not name Johnny Depp. The platform has cost him his career and reputation, and he is seeking damages of $50 million.
Amber Heard, who starred in particular in "Justice League", and "Aquaman", retaliated and asked for the second. This column was written by the 36-year old actress. She claims Johnny Depp's complaint against her is futile and prolongs the "abuse and harassment" she was subject to. She claims that a former lawyer for Depp has defamed and claimed in the media that she was claiming domestic violence.
Before determining the amount, the jury must answer multiple questions and decide unanimously on both complaints.
The jury has heard hundreds of hours of testimony and audio or video recordings that have exposed the shocking details of their lives together between 2011 and 2016. According to the actress, Johnny Depp was a "monster" due to his addiction to a dangerous mix of drugs and alcohol. He wasn't in rehab. In March 2015, Johnny Depp would have raped the actress with a bottle in Australia, where he was filming episode 5 "Pirates." Johnny Depp was taken to the hospital that day with a severed finger. He says it was because of the glare from Amber Heard's bottle. He said he had hurt himself.
After a final argument in which Johnny Depp allegedly threw an iPhone in her face in May 2016, she filed for divorce for domestic abuse after just over a year of marriage. She claims that she was the victim of a social media smear attack, which wiped out her career. The 58-year old actor denied the "staggering" allegations and said that his wife was not violent. He said, "No human being can be perfect. Certainly not. None of us. But I have never committed sexual violence or other forms of violence in my entire life." The comedian lost his first defamation suit in London against The Sun in 2020. The tabloid called him a "violent spouse".
Each actor claims to have lost between 40- 50 million dollars in fees from the publication of The Tribune.
