Johnny Deppis carrying on after his explosive court case concluded.
The 58-year-old actor was photographed waving to cameras in the U.K. on Thursday, less than 24 hours after winning hisdefamation caseagainst ex-wifeAmber Heard.
Wearing a black-and-white blazer, sunglasses, his hair down and several bracelets, Depp was seen smiling and waving as he departed a hotel in Newcastle, England.
On Wednesday afternoon, theseven-person jury reached a verdictin the trial that began April 11, deciding that Depp proved Heard, 36, defamed him in her 2018 op-ed about coming forward with sexual-violence allegations.
The jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages butHeard will only have to pay $10.35 milliondue to a Virginia law limiting punitive damages (the judge reduced the amount). In her countersuit, Heard won one of the three defamation counts, and was awarded $2 million in damages.
For more on the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial verdict, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
Deppwas not present when the verdict was readin court in Fairfax, Virginia, and has been performing onstage with Jeff Beck overseas since Sunday. He said in a statement that the “best is yet to come” for him after the verdict.
Johnny Depp on June 2, 2022.Blackburn / MEGA
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“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. All in the blink of an eye,” he said. “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 ever brought against me. It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career. And six years later, thejury gave me my life back.”
“I am truly humbled,” he continued. “My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought. From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
“I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media,” said the actor. “I wish to acknowledge the noble work of the Judge, the jurors, the court staff and the Sheriffs who have sacrificed their own time to get to this point, and to my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping me to share the truth. The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun.Veritas numquam perit. Truth never perishes.”
TheAquamanactress said in her ownstatement following the verdict(which her lawyer Elaine Bredehoft said onTodayThursday her client plans to appeal), “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. 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 even more disappointed withwhat this verdict meansfor other women. It is a setback,” she added. “It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”
“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the U.K.,” Heard continued. “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.”
EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty
Shortly before the verdict was read Wednesday, thePirates of the Caribbeanactor was spotted with musicians Sam Fender —who posted a picture with Deppon social media — and Beck, 77, at the Bridge Tavern in Newcastle, where Depp seemed “in a great mood,” an onlooker told PEOPLE.
Gary Spedding, another pub patron who was at the establishment at the same time as Depp, also opened up about his experience interacting with the actor and what the atmosphere was like in the hours just before the verdict reveal.
“He’d been drinking with Sam Fender this evening. And then I believe that the bar opened a berth space upstairs for them or something along those lines. And that’s where I saw him,” Spedding, 32, told PEOPLE Wednesday.
“He was leaving from the upstairs place, which is where I managed to see him [to] shake his hand and [I] spoke to him very, very briefly. He smiled at me and said, ‘Thank you,’ and gave me a wink. And heseemed very gracious and happywith where he was and things like that.”
“He seemed very happy and comfortable. I think that’s really good,” Spedding continued. “I’m glad that he’s in the U.K. with members of a band that he’s friends with and enjoying some music and enjoying himself because he deserves that.”
Added Spedding, “Once people spotted him and realized that he was there, there was quite a lot of support. Some people were clapping, lots of people got overexcited, as they would do with that.”
source: people.com
