When do we find out the verdict? Possible time of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard final verdict explored

The jury deliberations for Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial ended on May 31 with no verdict from the jurors. The seven-body civil jury decided to resume their deliberations at the Fairfax County Court on Wednesday, June 1.

Initial deliberations for the trial began on May 27 after closing arguments from both Depp and Heard’s legal teams ended following six weeks of the hearing. The jury deliberated for two hours on Friday and was sent home for Memorial Day weekend.

Judge Penny Azcarate announced that she would not limit the jury to provide their verdict within the stipulated period on Friday and said that the deliberations would continue this week. The judge also noted that the jurors' names would be sealed for a year due to the case's high-profile nature.

The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation case began when the Pirates of the Caribbean star sued Heard for $50 million after she published a Washington Post op-ed in 2018 and claimed to be a survivor of domestic violence in the article.

Depp’s name was not directly mentioned in the story, but his legal team claimed that the article strongly hinted at the actor and negatively impacted his career and public image.

Heard countersued Depp for $100 million and alleged that he abused her on multiple occasions throughout their marriage and relationship.

---

A look into the possible date and outcome of the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation verdict

The jury is reportedly taking an extended time to reach a verdict in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial due to the complicated nature of the case (Image via Getty Images)

As the jury deliberations for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation case began last Friday, jurors were reportedly given 37-page jury instructions and eight verdict forms before they deliberated for two hours.

The jury returned to Fairfax County Court on Tuesday and was given a set of questions that they needed to answer to determine if Amber Heard’s 2018 Washington Post article was defamatory towards Johnny Depp.

Jurors dealt with their first question after nearly five hours of deliberation. They enquired if the headline of Heard’s Washington Post op-ed was false. The headline reads:

“I spoke up against s*xual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

In response, Judge Azcarate instructed the jurors to consider the headline and not the op-ed:

“The statement is the headline and not the entire op-ed.”

Further reports revealed that the jury received a verdict sheet with 42 questions required to answer before delivering a verdict on the complicated defamation case. The document showed 24 questions for Depp's claims and 18 for Heard's counterclaim.

Additionally, an eight-page verdict form has also been used to formalize the jury's decision, meaning that jurors are subject to deciding on multiple matters before reaching their verdict. A section on the form also asked the jury to decide on the damages and punitive damages for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

The jury failed to reach a verdict at the end of Tuesday’s trial and decided to head home. They also announced that the deliberations would continue the next day.

Shortly after the session, celebrity lawyer Chris Melcher spoke to Yahoo Entertainment, explaining why the jury is taking an extended time to reach a verdict:

“The jurors spent six weeks listening to conflicting evidence. They must weigh that evidence and decide who told the truth. Then they must figure out what the jury instructions mean, which are statements of law that are easily understood by lawyers but no one of the jury is a lawyer.”

He further shared that it will also take time for the jury to reach a unanimous decision on the case:

“The verdict must be unanimous under Virginia law, which means all seven of the jurors must agree on the answers to a series of questions. Getting seven people to agree on anything is difficult. This will take time to do it right.”

Attorney Rachel Fiset echoed a similar statement and said:

“Since the trial was over six weeks and the various elements and damages are fairly complex, the deliberation time thus far does not quite give us a window into what they are thinking.”

Meanwhile, Twitter user @roaringrapids22, who is covering the trial on social media, shared that if the jury reaches the verdict on Wednesday around 2:30 PM ET, it will be televised at 4:00 PM ET:

It was also mentioned that once a verdict is reached, it will take approximately 60 minutes and the top of the hour from the time a verdict is reached to deliver the final deliberations.