Amber Heard published a statement on Instagram minutes after the jury awarded Johnny Depp $15 million in the defamation lawsuit.
Per CBS News, the jury decided the 36-year-old actress was liable for defaming her former husband in an op-ed published in the Washington Post in 2018.
It was also determined that the 58-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star was liable for a statement made by his legal team, calling Heard's claim of domestic abuse a hoax.
Heard was granted $2 million in the lawsuit while Depp was awarded more than seven times this amount. Shortly after the verdict was announced, she posted a statement saying that she felt "disappointment" in the outcome.
"The disappointment I feel today is beyond words," Heard wrote in her statement. "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."
The Aquaman actress said she is even more disappointed in "what this verdict means for women," calling it a "setback".
"It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke up could be publicly shamed and humiliated," she said. "It sets back the idea that violence against women should 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 said.
In 2020, the Edwards Scissorhands actor sued The Sun newspaper and its parent company in the United Kingdom after it published an article that called him a "wife-beater," BBC News reported.
The Danish Girl actress provided evidence to the court, and the jury ultimately ruled that the op-ed was "substantially true," saying they found 12 out of 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence occurred.
In her statement about the high-profile case, the actress said she was sad she lost. "But I am sadder still that I seemed to have lost a right I thought I had as an American — to speak freely and openly," she added.
The trial began in Fairfax, Virginia, in April. Depp was suing his former wife for $50 million over what he deemed were defamatory statements in the op-ed.
In the piece, Heard referred to herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse." Depp's lawyers said that the article defamed him and ruined his career and reputation - even though it never mentioned his name.
Both actors alleged in their respective testimonies that the other had abused them. After the verdict ruled in his favor, Depp posted a statement on Instagram, writing: "The jury gave me my life back."
While the jury stated that Depp should acquire $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, the judge said state law caps punitive damages at $350,000, meaning Depp's award would amount to $10.35 million.