A Recap of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's Libel Trial, From Appeals to a New Netflix Doc

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's 2022 defamation trial has gotten the documentary treatment from Netflix. The streamer's docuseries "Depp v. Heard," which premieres on Aug. 16, revisits the highly publicized case as it played out inside a Virginia courtroom and online for millions of viewers. The documentary not only highlights the events that led up to the defamation trial, it also showcases Depp and Heard's testimonies side by side for the first time.

Back in June 2022, a seven-person jury in Virginia's Fairfax County Circuit Court found Heard liable for three counts of defamation toward Depp and Depp liable for one count of defamation toward Heard, Time confirmed. The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, and $2 million in compensatory damages to Heard.

A month after their trial, Depp and Heard both filed initial appeal paperwork. Depp appealed Heard's $2 million damages award, Entertainment Weekly reported on Nov. 3, 2022, with his attorneys calling the decision "erroneous" and pushing to get it overturned. Meanwhile, the following month, the Los Angeles Times reported that Heard was appealing the court's decision in their defamation case. The outlet noted that Heard's lawyers claimed there were "numerous errors committed at trial, including allowing the case to be heard in Virginia and refusing to allow communications between Heard and certain doctors to be admitted as evidence."

Heard and Depp then settled their defamation cases against each other back in December, which the former announced in a lengthy Instagram post on Dec. 19, 2022. She wrote in part, "It's important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed. The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways in which women are re-victimised when they come forward." Later in the statement, Heard added, "I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward."

Heard also said she has "lost faith" in the American legal system and pointed out that she had won a similar case in the UK. Depp's attorneys Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez said in a statement to POPSUGAR at the time, "We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light. The jury's unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp's favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place. The payment of $1M — which Mr. Depp is pledging and will donate to charities — reinforces Ms. Heard's acknowledgement of the conclusion of the legal system's rigorous pursuit for justice." TMZ first reported that the settlement is for $1 million.

Heard has since issued her $1 million settlement payment to Depp, as People reported on June 13 that the latter plans to donate the lump sum from their defamation case to five charities — Make-A-Film Foundation, The Painted Turtle, Red Feather, Tetiaroa Society, and Amazonia Fund Alliance — with $200,000 going to each. Reps for both Heard and Depp did not respond to POPSUGAR's request for comment at the time.

Ahead, find a breakdown of the aftermath of Depp and Heard's defamation trial.

Minutes after the jury announced their verdict in Depp and Heard's trial on June 1, 2022, the latter released a statement on Instagram. "The disappointment I feel today is beyond words," Heard wrote. "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. . . . I'm sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly."

Depp also shared a statement via Instagram following the verdict. "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. . . . 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 brought against me. . . . And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled."

On June 13, 2022, Heard gave her first interview after the verdict to NBC News's Savannah Guthrie. "I don't care what one thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors. I don't presume the average person should know those things," she said in a clip from the interview that aired on June 14 and 15. "But even somebody who is sure I'm deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I'm lying, you still couldn't look me in the eye and tell me that you think on social media there's been a fair representation. You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair."

Of the jury verdict, Heard said, "I don't blame them. I actually understand. He's a beloved character and people feel they know him. He's a fantastic actor."

Depp and Heard's highly publicized trial began on April 12, 2022, after the former sued his ex-wife for $50 million for libeling him in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote, in which she referred to herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse." Heard later countersued with a $100 million claim against the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star for allegedly damaging her career. The counterclaim came after she alleged that Depp's lawyer called her allegations against the actor a hoax.

Over the course of the civil trial, testimony from Depp and Heard revealed details about the former couple's short-lived marriage, which lasted less than two years — including graphic allegations of physical and sexual abuse as well as alleged aggression from both parties. Part of determining who was liable to the other was determining whose words were true and therefore not libelous.

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