Johnny Depp’s defamation case against Amber Heard is officially over. After years of arguing, including a highly publicized trial earlier this year, the exes have reached a settlement.
In July, a court awarded Johnny over $10 million in damages after Amber was found guilty of defaming him following a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post.
The actress went on to appeal the decision, which would’ve subjected the parties to even more court time and legal fees. However, Johnny and Amber reached an agreement that will avoid taking the case forward. Amber a mere fraction of the $10 million she was originally ordered to pay.
The Aquaman star released a statement Monday morning explaining her decision to settle.
"It's important for me to say that I never chose this," Amber said. "I defended my truth 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 women are re-victimised when they come forward."
She compared the lawsuit to a previous case Johnny filed against The Sun after they published an article accusing him of domestic abuse. Amber had to give a testimony during the case. In her statement, the actress implied that the process was more just in the U.K. compared to her experience fighting Johnny’s defamation on American soil.
"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 in which abundant, direct evidence that corroborated my testimony was excluded and in which popularity and power mattered more than reason and due process," Amber went on.
She concluded by explaining that finances were the main reason she decided not to challenge the decision any further.
"I simply cannot go through that for a third time," she continued. "I cannot afford to risk an impossible bill — one that is not just financial, but also psychological, physical and emotional.”
Johnny also released a statement through his attorneys, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, expressing satisfaction with the outcome.
"We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light,” the statement read.
The lawyers also said that Johnny plans to donate the settlement to charity, adding, “This was never about the money.”