Johnny Depp wins defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard

The jury found Johnny Depp was defamed by Amber Heard when she described herself in an op-ed as a "public figure representing domestic abuse."

Depp won more than $10 million in damages on Wednesday, achieving a near-total victory in a defamation suit against Heard to cap a six-week trial featuring graphic testimony about the stars' soured relationship.

A seven-person jury in Virginia also ruled for Heard on one counterclaim against Depp. 

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" film star depicted the decision as a vindication, and his former wife said it was "a disappointment."

Jurors awarded Depp $15 million in damages from Heard, which the judge reduced to $10.35 million to comply with state limits on punitive damages. 

The panel ordered Depp to pay Heard $2 million in damages.

The much-talked-about libel case exposed the former couple's troubled marriage. The six-week trial in Fairfax County Circuit Court turned into a contentious battle between Depp and Heard over the truth about what happened in their marriage, which ended in 2016. 

Both Heard and Depp accused each other of repeated physical abuse throughout their relationship.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met on the sets of The Rum Diary in 2009 and started dating a few years later. In 2015, they got married.

In 2016, Heard filed for divorce and alleged that Depp had physically abused her during their marriage under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Depp denied the accusations and stated that Heard was "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse".