Attorneys for which originally began in mid-April.
and attorneys for are scheduled to appear in court one last time Friday morning in the J defamation caseIn what many called “the trial of the century,”
sued actress and ex- for $50 million, alleging she defamed him and cost him his career with a seething opEd she penned and published in The . After Heard’s attempts to have the case thrown out of were unsuccessful, she countersued Depp for $100 million.On June 1, a jury of seven delivered its verdict: was indeed defamed by his ex- , and Depp’s legal team had proven its case on all three of his claims. The jury, therefore, awarded him compensatory damages of $10 million and punitive damages of $5 million. The jury found that Heard’s legal team had proven its case on only one of its claims, therefore awarding the actress $2 million in compensatory damages, but zero in punitive damages.
But on June 1, rather than entering the jury’s verdict as an order on the docket, Judge Penney Azcarate said both sides would have until June 24 to come to a settlement agreement between the two. If no settlement agreement is reached, the judge will enter the order on the docket as it stands per the jury’s verdict. If both sides can agree on a settlement, that settlement will then become the order.
The trial that played out for all the world to see and hear saw
of , , and sexual . and ex- originally met on the set of a decade ago, and according to documents, the began shortly after the couple’s relationship began.Daily inside the
during the , many witnesses were called to testify in defense of , while a smaller number of witnesses were called to testify in defense of Depp’s ex- .Outside the used by Depp’s driver each day to deliver Depp to the courthouse in the morning and take him back to his hotel in the evening. lined the roadway
,The televised
played out for six weeks and hit the airwaves with warnings about content.Since the attorney Elaine Bederhoft gave an interview on Good Morning America and the Today show. has been on tour in the United Kingdom where he has taken to the stage and showed off his musical prowess, and just last week, the full interview between played in its entirety on Dateline NBC (and was met with criticism as Guthrie’s husband served as part of Depp’s legal team during the and the Today show’s Savannah Guthrie trial).
wrapped up on June 1, news about the ex-couple, as well as members of each actor’s respective legal team, has been copious. Immediately following the verdict, ‘sThere has been talk that despite the jury’s verdict, , but not because of the jury. Rather, rumors have swirled that Depp might dismiss the judgment against Heard–or decrease the amount she has to pay him–especially after reports about Heard’s inability to pay the hefty judgment against her. may not end up paying her ex-husband a single penny
All along, Depp and his legal team stated that the case was not about money, but about setting the record straight and clearing
‘s name for the sake of his children and his career.“We obviously can’t disclose any attorney-client communications, but as Mr. Depp testified, and as we both made clear in our respective closings, this was never about money for Mr. Depp,” said Depp attorney Benjamin Chew during an interview with Good Morning America. “This was about restoring his reputation, and he’s done that.”
The hearing is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. in the Fairfax County Virginia courtroom Friday morning with Judge Penney Azcarate presiding.