Amber Heard's sister speaks out after verdict in Johnny Depp trial
Amber Heard's sister, Whitney Heard Henriquez, is standing up for her following the outcome of the defamation trial with Johnny Depp. While it was a mixed verdict, Depp was awarded more money, and Heard said she felt "disappointment" in the outcome.
"I still stand with you, sissy," Henriquez wrote Sunday on Instagram. "Yesterday, today and tomorrow I will always be proud of you for standing up for yourself, for testifying both here in Virginia and in the UK, and for being the voice of so many who can't speak to the things that happen behind closed doors."
Depp sued Heard in Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia for $50 million over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse." His lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.
Heard countersued for $100 million, claiming Depp's attorney defamed her by calling her abuse allegations a hoax.
Following the lengthy court battle, jurors awarded Depp a total of $15 million in damages and Heard $2 million. Both Depp and Heard alleged in their testimony the other had abused them.
Henriquez, who testified during the trial, said she found herself in the middle of fights — literally and figuratively — between her sister and Depp during their troubled relationship. Depp has testified he never struck Heard. Henriquez claimed she had personally seen him hit Heard.
"We knew that this was going to be an uphill battle and that the cards were stacked against us," said Henriquez. "But you stood up and spoke out regardless. I am so honored to testify for you, and I would do it a million times over because I know what I saw and because the truth is forever on your side."
"I'm so sorry that it wasn't reflected in the decision made by this jury, but I will never give up on you, and neither will anyone who stands with you. Forever by your side," she wrote.
Henriquez also shared a graphic on Instagram that read #istandwithamberheard. Several other supporters posted #istandwithamberheard on Instagram, including music journalist Eve Barlow.
In her statement, Heard said the verdict "sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke up could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women should be taken seriously."
Heard said she was sad she lost. "But I am sadder still that I seemed to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly."
Depp also posted a statement on Instagram, writing, "The jury gave me my life back."
On "CBS Mornings," Heard's lawyer Elaine Charlson Bredehoft revealed what the actress said after the verdict.
"One of the first things she said when she came back from the verdict when we went into the conference room, was 'I am so sorry to all these women,'" Bredehoft recalled. "She felt like she had let down all of these women because she had more evidence than most people do. And yet they still didn't believe her."
