Johnny Depp has said he “feels at peace” and is “truly humbled” after winning his multimillion-dollar US defamation lawsuit against former wife Amber Heard.
The actor said his decision to pursue the case “was only made after considerable thought” and his goal was to “reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome”.
Mr Depp sued the Aquaman star for 50 million dollars over the piece, titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
The article does not mention him by name, yet his lawyers said it falsely implied he physically and sexually abused Ms Heard while they were together.
Following six weeks of evidence and roughly 13 hours of deliberation, jurors returned a verdict in favour of Mr Depp on Wednesday.
The actor was awarded compensatory damages of 10 million dollars (£8 million) and a further five million dollars (£4 million) in punitive damages.
In his statement, issued through his spokesperson, Mr Depp promised fans that “the best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun”.
“Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed,” he said
“All in the blink of an eye.
The actor said his goal was to ‘reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome’ (Craig Hudson/AP)
“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.
“It had already travelled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.
“And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”
Mr Depp continued: “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.” Ms Heard, who was present, was sitting between members of her legal team at the front of the court room, looked downcast as the ruling was read out by the judge (Court TV/AP) He said he had been “overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world”, adding: “I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up.”
Concluding the statement, he added: “The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun”
“Veritas numquam perit. Truth never perishes.”
Speaking outside the court, his lawyers Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez said they were “truly honoured” to have represented the actor and were “so grateful” to the jurors, and other members of court staff.“It is time to turn the page and look to the future,” Mr Chew said. Mr Depp was not present for the verdict, and was reportedly in the north east of England, after performing onstage for three nightsin a row .