Amber Heard's Washington Post Op-Ed Amended After Johnny Depp's Major Victory

Amber Heard's 2018 op-ed about surviving domestic abuse, which was at the center of the defamation lawsuit Johnny Depp brought against her, was amended following the verdict in the case.

After six weeks of trial and days of deliberation, a Virginia jury unanimously agreed Wednesday that Heard, 36, defamed her ex-husband Depp, 58, three times in her op-ed, which was published by The Washington Post in December 2018. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor's name was not mentioned in the piece.

Following the verdict, The Washington Post added an editor's note to the top of the online version of Heard's op-ed. The changes were reflected on the website Thursday, People reported.

"In 2019, Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for defamation arising out of this 2018 op-ed," the editor's note began. "On June 1, 2022, following a trial in Fairfax County, Va. Circuit Court, a jury found Heard liable on three counts for the following statements, which Depp claimed were false and defamatory: (1) 'I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change.' (2) 'Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out.' (3) 'I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse.'"

The note continued, "The jury separately found that Depp, through his lawyer Adam Waldman, defamed Heard in one of three counts in her countersuit."

Legal analyst Emily D. Baker weighed in on the publication's move, telling People it was "smart" of The Washington Post to amend the op-ed rather than delete it altogether.

"Because this case is so watched and commented on, I think the op-ed is still needed for context," Baker explained. "I appreciate that they put up the notice rather than take the op-ed down. And I appreciate that they included, with specificity, exactly the statements that were found to be defamatory."

The legal expert said that it would have been "easier" to just take down the controversial op-ed and that she appreciates the fact that the publication added a note explaining what had happened.

Meanwhile, Roy Gutterman, a professor at Syracuse University's Newhouse School and director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, said in a press release that the verdict was "shocking" to some.

He suggested that the ruling may have a "chilling effect" and may discourage people from "addressing potentially controversial issues" in the future.

The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, the latter of which the judge reduced to Virginia's statutory cap of $350,000.

Heard was also awarded $2 million in damages as she partially won her countersuit over comments made by Depp's former lawyer, who called her abuse allegations a hoax. Her lawyer said the actress plans to appeal the verdict.

An unnamed insider told Entertainment Tonight that Depp feels "really good and positive" after having "cleared his name."

On the other hand, Heard has been "really distraught and upset" and is "trying to lay low and take care of herself," according to the source.