Johnny Depp, Amber Heard defamation trial jury reaches verdict after 6 weeks of testimony

• A verdict has been reached in the defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. 
• The jury will read its verdict in court at 3 p.m. ET. 
• The verdict comes after six weeks of testimony in Fairfax County, Virginia. 

The jury deliberating the trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard reached a verdict after six weeks of trial testimony and less than three days of deliberation.

The verdict is scheduled to be read in court at 3 p.m. ET. Depp, who is playing concerts in Europe, is not expected to be present in court.

"Due to previously scheduled work commitments made before the trial, Mr. Depp will not be physically present for today's 3pm verdict and will be watching from the United Kingdom," a spokesperson for Depp told Insider.

Depp brought the $50 million lawsuit against Heard in 2019, alleging she defamed him by describing herself in a December 2018 Washington Post op-ed as a victim of domestic abuse. Depp claimed that it was Heard who was the real abuser in their relationship. Heard countersued for $100 million, alleging around a dozen specific instances where she said Depp beat her, often while he used drugs or alcohol.

The jury has been tasked with determining whether each party is liable for defamation, as well as the damages to award.

Over the course of six weeks, jurors heard testimony from each side, taking in each party's account of how much the other used drugs and alcohol, and was prone to bouts of violence. They also heard from psychologists who disputed each others' assessments about Heard's psychological state, doctors who debated whether Heard was really responsible for Depp losing the tip of his finger, and digital forensic experts who theorized whether it was possible to know whether photos of Heard appearing to have bruises were doctored.

The trial offered a rare insight into the life of high-profile celebrities. Depp has blamed Heard on the ruin inflicted upon his career. Once the star of billion-dollar franchises like "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Alice in Wonderland," and the "Harry Potter" spinoff "Fantastic Beasts," his major roles have now dried up. Heard's lawyers have argued that he has no one but himself to blame for losing out on a sixth "Pirates" movie, which can be attributed to an earlier court loss over domestic abuse claims in the United Kingdom, as well as a reputation for lateness on film sets and alcohol abuse.

Heard's star has risen in recent years thanks to her roles in "Justice League" and "Aquaman" among a string of independent movies. But since her experience with Depp, which ended in divorce in 2016, her career has suffered, she said. She testified that she has post-traumatic stress disorder and struggles to avoid triggers while filming combat scenes. She is also subject to an unflagging blast of online harassment from Depp's fans, often manifesting in the form of death threats to her and her one-year-old child. And she claims Depp tried to get her fired from future "Aquaman" and "Justice League" films. 

Both Depp and Heard each spent several days on the stand telling their respective sides of the story, about their tumultuous courtship and marriage. Depp's testimony focused on his difficult childhood, and his struggle with drugs and alcohol — but he maintained that he never physically abused Heard. Heard meanwhile, spoke about falling for Depp, and finding it hard to let go of their connection when he started to abuse her. 

Depp may have selected Virginia, the site of the Washington Post's servers, as a venue because of its relative friendliness to libel plaintiffs. Judge Penney Azcarate, who oversaw the trial, permitted the case to sprawl over six weeks on livestreamed video, giving Depp the opportunity to make his case to the public as well as the jury. 

The trial has certainly proven that Depp has not lost his star power. Lines to get into the courtroom would start forming in the early hours every morning, and each day saw dozens crowded outside the courthouse to wave to Depp as he entered and exited the courthouse. Meanwhile, Heard became the center of a social media firestorm of negative comments and elicited boos from the crowd outside the courthouse.

This story is breaking and will be updated.