Amber Heard Johnny Depp Reach Settlement In Defamation Case; See Details

Actor Amber Heard on Monday announced that she reached a settlement in the multi-million dollar defamation case filed against her by her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp.

In June, a Virginia jury mostly ruled with Depp, 59, finding that Heard had defamed him in an article in which she called herself a victim of abuse.

In an Instagram post, Heard said the decision to settle with Depp was “very difficult” and followed “a great deal of deliberation.” The actress said this was “not an act of concession.”

Depp’s co-lead trial counsel, Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez, said he would receive a payment from Heard’s insurers of $1 million and Depp has pledged to donate the funds to charity.

Amber Heard Settles Defamation Case

Depp sued Heard over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse."

Though Heard did not name Depp in the piece, he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and sought $50 million in damages. Heard countersued for $100 million, saying she was defamed by statements made by Depp's lawyer, Adam Waldman, who told the Daily Mail her abuse claims were a "hoax."

The high-profile case, live-streamed to millions, featured lurid and intimate details about the celebrities' private lives. A seven-person jury ruled in that Heard defamed Depp, and the Pirates of the Caribbean star was awarded $10.35 million. The jury also determined that Heard was defamed, awarding her $2 million.

Heard's lawyers said following the trial that the actress did not have the resources to pay Depp the $10 million in damages.

In her Instagram post, Heard said she "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-victimised when they come forward," she said.

"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," she said. "I simply cannot go through that for the third time."

On Monday, lawyers for Depp said in a statement they were happy to "formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr Depp", adding that the actor would be donating the settlement amount to a number of charities.

Suggested Reading: Why Is Amber Heard Verdict Being Used To Pass A Judgement On Feminism?