Beauty
Amber Heard Settles Defamation Lawsuit With Johnny, Agrees To Pay $1 Million
There are no restrictions on what Heard can talk about regarding the case.
There’s finally an end to the most bitter Hollywood divorce. The lawyers of both Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard have over the weekend been locked in discussions to avoid a third trial after the actress filed an appeal, and they arrived at the conclusion to pay the Pirates of the Caribbean actor $1 million.
Amber had already sold her LA home to help fund the legal action; therefore, this settlement means her home insurance company will take on the payment.
It’s no news that the pair were locked in a legal battle on both sides of the Atlantic over the last six years after Heard alleged she was a victim of domestic violence during their 15-month marriage. A courtroom in London found in her favor, but the second case, which was held in Fairfax, Virginia, this year, came out on Depp’s side.
The verdict of the Virginia court was that the 36-Year-Old should pay $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million [later reduced to $365] in punitive damages.
Accordingly, 59-year-old Depp was told to give Heard $2 million after she countersued for defamation.
Of the new agreement, Heard, who has no restrictions about what she can talk about regarding the case and has accepted no guilt, has released a bombshell statement on Instagram, where she claimed she had lost all faith in getting justice in the American legal system, comparing it to her treatment in the UK courts and claimed her former husband had won in the Virginia courtroom because of a vote ‘for popularity and power over reason and due process.’
Depp is expected to put out his statement imminently, and while he has attempted to restart his career, it is evident the lawsuit has had a huge effect on it.
Heard’s full statement, in which she said: “My life as I knew it was destroyed by the court cases,” reads: “After a great deal of deliberation, I have made a very difficult decision to settle the defamation case brought against me by my ex-husband in Virginia.” It’s important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth, and in doing so, my life as I knew it was destroyed. “The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways in which women are re-victimized when they come forward.”
“Now I finally have an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to.”
“I have made no admission.” This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward. I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder. “When I stood before a judge in the UK, I was vindicated by a robust, impartial, and fair system, where I was protected from having to give the worst moments of my testimony in front of the world’s media, and where the court found that I was subjected to domestic and sexual violence.”
“In the US, however, I exhausted almost all my resources in advance of and during a trial in which I was subjected to a courtroom that in which abundant, direct evidence that corroborated my testimony was excluded and in which popularity and power mattered more than reason and due process.”
“In the interim, I was exposed to a type of humiliation that I simply cannot relive.” Even if my US appeal is successful, the best outcome would be a retrial, where a new jury would have to consider the evidence again. I simply cannot go through that for a third time. Time is precious, and I want to spend my time productively and purposefully. “For too many years I have been caged in an arduous and expensive legal process, which has shown itself unable to protect me and my right to free speech.”
“I cannot afford to risk an impossible bill—one that is not just financial, but also psychological, physical, and emotional. “Women shouldn’t have to face abuse or bankruptcy for speaking her truth, but unfortunately it not uncommon.”
“In settling this case, I am also choosing the freedom to dedicate my time to the work that helped me heal after my divorce; work that exists in realms in which I feel seen, heard, and believed, and in which I know I can effect change.” I will not be threatened, disheartened, or dissuaded by what happened from speaking the truth. No one can, and no one will, take that from me. My voice forever remains the most valuable asset I have.”
Heard concluded: “I’d like to thank my outstanding appellate and original trial teams for their relentless hard work.”
“I want to thank everyone who has supported me and turn my attention to the growing support that I’ve felt and seen publicly in the months since my trial, and the efforts that have been made to show solidarity with my story. Any survivor knows that the ability to tell their story often feels like the only relief, and I cannot find enough words to tell you the hope your belief in me inspires, not just for me, but for all of you. Thank you. “See you soon.”
Meanwhile, Heard had become so worried about safety that she reportedly felt forced to leave America with her daughter Oonagh and is now living in an unknown country.
Her career has also taken a huge knock thanks in part to a vicious social media assault, although earlier this year, she filmed the independent movie The Fire and remains a part of the Aquaman 2 film, which is out next year. However, a source close to the actress told MailOnline that Heard is now looking forward to moving on with her life as she planned to do six years ago, adding that she wants to put this unfortunate episode behind her and turn to what she loves in life: her career, family, and causes.
