No verdict in Depp, Heard defamation cases as jury ends day's deliberations

LOS ANGELES -

Jurors contemplating the opposing lawsuits from actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard deliberated for hours on Tuesday with out reaching a verdict within the multimillion-dollar defamation battle that aired unsettling particulars about their troubled marriage.

The seven-person jury is anticipated to renew their discussions on Wednesday morning in Fairfax County Circuit Courtroom in Virginia.

Depp, the 58-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" star, sued Heard for $50 million and argued that she defamed him when she known as herself "a public determine representing home abuse" in a newspaper opinion piece.

Heard, 36, countersued for $100 million, saying Depp smeared her when his lawyer known as her accusations a "hoax."

• When might a verdict be reached in Depp-Heard trial?

Depp has denied hitting Heard or any girl and stated she was the one who turned violent of their relationship.

Depp and Heard met in 2011 whereas filming "The Rum Diary" and wed in February 2015. Their divorce was finalized about two years later.

On the middle of the authorized case is a December 2018 opinion piece by Heard within the Washington Put up during which she made the assertion about home abuse. The article didn't point out Depp by identify however his lawyer advised jurors it was clear that Heard was referring to him.

Throughout deliberations on Tuesday, the seven-person jury requested Choose Penney Azcarate whether or not they need to take into account your entire article or simply the headline. The headline stated Heard "spoke up in opposition to sexual violence - and confronted our tradition's wrath."

Azcarate stated she would inform the jury that the headline was the assertion they need to take into account to achieve their verdict.

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Throughout six weeks of testimony, Heard's attorneys argued that she had advised the reality and that her feedback have been coated as free speech underneath the U.S. Structure's First Modification.

All through the case, jurors listened to recordings of the couple's fights and noticed graphic images of Depp's bloody finger. He stated the highest of the finger was severed when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him in 2015.

Heard denied injuring Depp's finger and stated Depp sexually assaulted her that night time with a liquor bottle. She stated she struck him solely to defend herself or her sister.

Testimony was livestreamed extensively on social media, drawing massive audiences to listen to particulars concerning the couple's rocky relationship.

As soon as amongst Hollywood's greatest stars, Depp stated Heard's allegations price him "every little thing." A brand new "Pirates" film was placed on maintain and Depp was changed within the "Implausible Beasts" movie franchise, a "Harry Potter" spinoff.

Depp misplaced a libel case lower than two years in the past in opposition to the Solar, a British tabloid that labeled him a "spouse beater." A London Excessive Courtroom decide dominated that he had repeatedly assaulted Heard.

Depp's legal professionals filed the U.S. case in Fairfax County, Virginia, as a result of the Washington Put up is printed there. The newspaper isn't a defendant. 

Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Modifying by Daniel Wallis and Mark Porter