Johnny Depp has stated that he is "at peace" after winning a multimillion-dollar case against his ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation in the Washington Post.

Mr. Depp filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Aquaman actor based on a newspaper story titled: "I came out against sexual violence, incurring the wrath of our culture. This must change."

The story did not name Mr. Depp, but according to his attorneys, it erroneously claimed that he physically and sexually mistreated Ms. Heard during their relationship.

After six weeks of testimony and approximately thirteen hours of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict. They were scheduled to read the verdict at 8 p.m. UK time, but the judge summoned them back to the discussion room to complete a verdict form.

Both Ms. Heard and Mr. Depp were found guilty of defamation in their cases against each other, with Ms. Heard defaming Mr. Depp in three distinct remarks and Mr. Depp defaming Ms. Heard in a single statement made via his attorney.

Mr. Depp was given 10 million dollars (£8 million) in compensatory damages and five million dollars (£4 million) in punitive damages.

In the meantime, Ms. Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages in her countersuit but no punitive penalties.

Mr. Depp was not present in court for the ruling; he remains in the United Kingdom, where he performed over the weekend with musician Jeff Beck in Sheffield and London's Royal Albert Hall.

He turned into a live broadcast of the verdict.

Mr. Depp stated on Instagram that he "feels at peace" and is "truly humbled" after winning his lawsuit after the verdict was read.

He stated that the jury had "given me my life back."

He wrote, "The best is yet to come, and a new chapter has finally begun,"

Ms. Heard, seated at the front of the courtroom between members of her legal team, had her head lowered as the judge read the verdict.

Ms. Heard stated in a statement made on her behalf that she is "heartbroken" by the verdict and by "what this means for other women."

"The disappointment I feel today is beyond words," she remarked.

"I'm heartbroken that the pile of evidence was insufficient to combat my ex-excessive husband's power, influence, and persuasion.

"I am even more disappointed by the implications of this judgment for other women. It is an obstacle, and it turns the clock back to a time when a woman who spoke her mind was publicly embarrassed and humiliated. This undermines the notion that violence against women should be taken seriously.

"I believe Johnny's counsel successfully convinced the jury to disregard the crucial issue of Freedom of Speech and to disregard evidence that was so conclusive that we prevailed in the United Kingdom.

"I regret losing this case. But what makes me even sadder is that I appear to have lost a freedom I believed I had as an American — the liberty to speak freely and openly."

During his testimony, Mr. Depp stated that he had "outrageous, outlandish" in response to the "spoken up for what I have been carrying on my back reluctantly for six years" allegations of abuse.

The court previously heard that Ms. Heard and her legal team inflated their descriptions of Mr. Depp's drug use and aggression.

Following the verdict, Mr. Depp's legal team exited the Virginia courthouse to the applause of the waiting crowd.

Camille Vasquez, the actor's attorney, said in a brief statement that the verdict "confirms what we have said from the beginning, that the claims against Johnny Depp are defamatory and unsupported by any evidence."

She expressed gratitude to the jury for their deliberations and thanked the judge and court officials for "devoting an enormous amount of time and resources" to the case.