Johnny Depp wins defamation case against former wife Amber Heard

Johnny Depp has won his defamation case against his former wife Amber Heard after a jury found that a statement that Ms Heard made about domestic abuse in a 2018 opinion piece clearly referred to the actor.

The seven-member jury found in favour of Mr Depp after a six-week trial in which confronting testimony about the couple's short but explosive marriage was given.

Mr Depp had accused Ms Heard of several acts of violence during the trial as she also claimed of him.

The jury also found in favour of Ms Heard, who said she was defamed by Mr Depp's lawyer when he called her abuse allegations a hoax.

They found she was defamed by one of them, in which the lawyer claimed that she and friends "spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight" and called the police. 

The jury found Mr Depp should receive $US10 million ($14.4 million) in compensatory damages and $US5 million in punitive damages, but the judge said state law capped punitive damages at $US350,000, meaning Mr Depp was awarded $US10.35 million. 

Jury members found Ms Heard should receive $US2 million.

When the verdict was read, dozens of Mr Depp's fans, who were gathered outside the courthouse, erupted in cheers and began chanting: "Johnny, Johnny."

They mobbed his lawyers when they came out.

Mr Depp said the jury's decision gave him his life back and that he was "truly humbled".

"False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me," he posted on Instagram.

"It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.

"The goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome."

Following the jury's decision, Ms Heard took to Instagram to express her disappointment that she had lost "[the] right I thought I had as an American to speak freely and openly".

"The disappointment I feel today is beyond words," Ms Heard posted.

"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.

Televised trial comes to an end

The verdicts bring an end to a televised trial that Mr Depp had hoped would help restore his reputation, although it turned into a spectacle of a vicious marriage.

Fans — overwhelmingly on Mr Depp's side — lined up overnight to grab a seat in the courtroom.

Spectators who could not get in lined up on the street to cheer Mr Depp and jeer Ms Heard whenever either appeared outside.

In the case, Mr Depp had to prove not only that he never assaulted Ms Heard, but that Ms Heard's article — which focused primarily on public policy related to domestic violence — defamed him.

He also had to prove that Ms Heard wrote the article with actual malice.

And, to claim damages, he had to prove that her article caused the damage to his reputation as opposed to any number of articles before and after Ms Heard's piece that detailed the allegations against him.

Despite testimony at the trial that he could be violent, abusive and out of control, Mr Depp received a standing ovation on Tuesday night in London after performing for about 40 minutes with Jeff Beck at the Royal Albert Hall.

Ms Heard's acting career has been more modest, and her only two upcoming roles are in a small film and the upcoming Aquaman sequel, which is due out next year.

Mr Depp's lawyers fought to keep the case in Virginia, in part because state law provided some legal advantages compared with California, where the two reside.

A judge ruled that Virginia was an acceptable forum for the case because The Washington Post's printing presses and online servers are in the county.

ABC/AP