Actress Amber Heard said on Monday that she has decided to settle the defamation case brought against her by ex-husband Johnny Depp, ending an appeal she initiated after the trial.
In a post on Instagram, Heard stated that her decision to settle “not an act of concession”.
“I have made no admission … There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward,” she wrote.
Earlier this year, she was ordered by a Virginia jury to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages — the latter sum of which was knocked down to $350,000 — following a defamation case the actor brought against her.
The case was based on claims of domestic abuse Heard made against a former partner — which Depp argued was a reference to him — in an op-ed for The Washington Post.
The jury ruled that the two stars had defamed each other — Heard by publishing the op-ed and Depp via a statement made by his lawyer in which his ex-wife was accused of perpetrating a “hoax”.
Heard secured one of three counterclaims against Depp and was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages. He is currently appealing against the decision.
In her Instagram post, the actress blasted the US legal system, saying her “unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder”.
The actress compared the US system to that of the UK, where Depp sued British tabloid The Sun in 2020 for calling him a “wife beater” in an article. Heard served as chief witness for The Sun in that case, which the tabloid won and the “court found that I [she] was subjected to domestic and sexual violence”.
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Amber Heard said last month that she stands by 'every word' of her testimony in her defamation trial, in which she was sued by former husband Johnny Depp. AFP -
NBC journalist Savannah Guthrie interviewed Heard in June following the trial's conclusion. She revealed how her husband Michael Feldman consulted with Depp's legal team. Photo: NBC News -
Heard says she doesn’t blame the jury for awarding Depp more than $15 million after a contentious six-week libel trial — it was later reduced to $10m. AP -
Heard reacts with her lawyer Elaine Bredehoft after the verdict was read at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse, Virginia, US, in June. AP -
Depp was in Newcastle, England, with musician Jeff Beck when the verdict was read. AP -
Heard leaves after the jury's verdict. EPA -
Heard and Depp prior to their wedding. The marriage lasted less than two years. AP -
Heard in a scene from 'London Fields'. Photo: GVN Releasing -
After losing his lawsuit against British tabloid 'The Sun', Depp said he planned to appeal the UK libel ruling, but then decided to sue his ex-wife in the US. AP -
Heard speaking at the 4th Annual Women's March LA: Women Rising in Los Angeles in January 2020. Getty Images / AFP -
Heard leaving the High Court in London in July 2020. Reuters -
A video of Depp plays on a screen before Paul McCartney's performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival in June. EPA -
After speaking out about domestic abuse, Amber Heard feared she would lose her roles in the movies 'Justice League' and 'Aquaman', the latter of which she starred in opposite Jason Momoa. Photo: DC Entertainment -
Depp gestures as he arrives at the Parco della Musica venue for the 19th edition of "Alice nella Citta" in Rome, Italy. AFP -
Heard wearing an outfit from Monique Lhuillier at the Golden Globes in 2019. Reuters -
Heard arrives on the red carpet for a Golden Globes ceremony. AFP -
Heard watches the men's semi-final match at Wimbledon in 2018. EPA -
Since the trial, Depp has been playing guitar on stage in front of fans. AP -
Heard at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, in 2020. Reuters -
Heard attends the Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2016. Getty Images -
Heard wears a creation for the L'Oreal Spring/Summer 2022 fashion show presented in Paris, France, in 2021. AP -
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Helen Mirren and Heard in Paris, France. AP -
After Depp filed a lawsuit against her, Heard testified she lost her contract with L'Oreal. AFP -
Depp inside the courtroom in April at the beginning of the trial. AP -
Heard is styled backstage during Paris Fashion Week in 2021. Getty Images -
Depp performs on stage at the Helsinki Blues Festival in June. EPA -
British rock guitarist Jeff Beck and Depp perform on stage at the Helsinki Blues Festival. EPA -
Depp waves to supporters as he departs the Fairfax County Courthouse after closing arguments. He never returned for the reading of the verdict. AP -
Depp received the Gold Medal of Merit on the occasion of Serbia's Statehood Day in Belgrade, Serbia, in February. Reuters -
Depp and Heard's former penthouse sits on top of Downtown Los Angeles’s famed Eastern Columbia Building and was recently put up for sale. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty -
There is a saltwater pool on the rooftop. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty -
There is an additional lounge area on the staircase landing. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty -
The apartment measures 1,780 square feet. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty -
The penthouse apartment has one bedroom. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty -
The kitchen and lounge area. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty
In her home country, however, she said: “I exhausted almost all my resources in advance of and during a trial in which I was subject 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.
“In the interim, I was exposed to a type of humiliation that I simply cannot relive.”
Despite her decision to settle, she said that she would not be “threatened, disheartened or dissuaded by what happened from speaking the truth”.
“No one can and no one will take that from me,” she added. “My voice forever remains the most valuable asset I have.”
Depp and Heard met in 2009 when she auditioned to star opposite him in The Rum Diary. They married in 2015, but it was short-lived.
In May 2016, Heard filed for divorce and for a temporary restraining order against Depp, submitting a declaration describing his temper, paranoia and substance abuse issues.
During the trial, Depp denied he had ever abused Heard or any other partner and instead claimed that Heard had abused him.
The jury heard accounts of abuse from both actors as well as family members, friends, coworkers and employees.
And the case was weighed heavily in the court of public opinion.
One of the witnesses in Heard's defence, Ron Schnell — a social media expert and member of the Berkeley Research Group — said he had seen more than a million negative tweets about Heard and that the #JusticeForJohnnyDepp hashtag was the biggest trending topic throughout the trial.
Following the verdict, Heard's supporters were deeply disappointed, with many seeing it as another instance of a powerful man getting away with abuse.
Depp's supporters, meanwhile, saw the verdict as a victory for male victims of domestic violence.
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Amber Heard hugs her lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, after the jury found her liable for defamation against her ex-husband, Johnny Depp on June 1, 2022. Pool / EPA -
Johnny Depp's lawyers Camille Vasquez and Ben Chew arrive to give a statement to the media outside the Fairfax County Courthouse after the jury found Heard liable for defamation. AP -
Fans of Depp react to the verdict outside the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse. EPA -
Supporters Depp and supporters of Heard stand outside the courthouse during the trial. EPA -
Amber Heard said her sister, Whitney Henriquez, got into a physical altercation with Johnny Depp. AP -
Heard described several instances where she alleged Depp physically abused her – some of her testimony turning extremely graphic. AFP -
Travis McGivern, a security guard for Depp, detailed a number of volatile arguments between Depp and Heard. EPA -
A fan of Johnny Depp waits outside the courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia. AFP -
Depp fans cheer outside the courthouse. Reuters -
Clinical and forensic psychologist Shannon Curry testifies on behalf of Depp, saying Heard suffers from borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder. She made the diagnosis after reviewing her medical records and speaking with her over 12 hours. EPA -
Forensic psychologist Dawn Hughes said Heard suffered from PTSD due to the violence she allegedly experienced at Depp's hand. AP -
Depp denied ever having struck Heard but admitted he has struggled with alcohol and drug use. EPA -
Heard became emotional when giving details of alleged past abuse. AFP -
Christi Dembrowski, Depp's older sister, said Heard had been verbally abusive towards him. AFP -
Raquel Pennington, a friend of Heard, becomes emotional as a picture of Heard is seen on screen as evidence of alleged abuse. EPA -
Kate Moss, a former girlfriend of Depp, said he did not push her down the stairs. EPA -
A 'Pirates of the Caribbean'-themed vehicle sits in front of the courthouse. EPA -
Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez grilled Heard when she took the stand, often interrupting her. AFP -
Fans cheer as Depp arrives at the courthouse. Hundreds of people queued overnight just to nab a seat in the courtroom. AFP
