Acclaimed actor and Hollywood star Johnny Depp headed for a mega pint at a British pub to celebrate his near complete victory over his former wife, actress Amber Heard in a defamation trial that captivated the world and social media.
Depp sued his former wife for $50 million for defamating after she authored an Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post on the issue of sexual and physical abuse, which Depp claimed made inferences to him.
During the 6 week trial a mountain of audio-visual evidence and witness testimony saw the tide starting to turn against Heard, who had previously garnered the sympathy and belief of millions of fans that she was indeed a victim of abuse, and more significantly, at the hands of Johnny Depp.
Social media exploded and in the court of public opinion it became increasingly clear that Heard had contradicted herself on many occasions, and no photographic proof of physical abuse and wanted people to believe her when she said that the word 'pledged' was synonymous to the word
"donated".
Following his victory, Johnny Depp issued the following statement:
“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.
All in the blink of an eye.
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 traveled 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.
My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought.
From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. 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.
I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world. 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. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media.
I wish to acknowledge the noble work of the Judge, the jurors, the court staff and the Sheriffs who have sacrificed their own time to get to this point, and to my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping me to share the truth.
The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun.
Veritas numquam perit.
Truth never perishes.”
I'm off to the pub for a mega pint of Ouzo!
