Johnny Depp wins his defamation case against Amber Heard

A jury has ruled in favour of Johnny Depp in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, vindicating his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage.

The jury also found in favour of Heard, who said she was defamed by Depp's lawyer when he called her abuse allegations a hoax.

Jury members found Depp should be awarded US$15 million ($22.5m) in damages, while Heard should receive US$2 million ($3m).

The jury found Heard had acted with malice in writing an article for the Washington Post in 2018, describing herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse."

Depp's lawyers said he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.

The jury ruled that Heard defamed Depp in all three of the actor's claims. They awarded him US$10 million ($15m) in damages and US$5m ($7.5m) in punitive damages.

The jurors also said Depp defamed Heard in just one of her three claims, awarding her US$2m ($3.1m) in damages and no money in punitive damages.

Subtracting Heard's award from Depp's total, the Pirates of the Caribbean star leaves the case with US$8.35m ($12.8m).

The verdicts bring an end to a televised trial that Depp had hoped would help restore his reputation, though it turned into a spectacle of a vicious marriage.