'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABgAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQcQAAEEAgIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFABEGBxITQRUBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAURAQACAgMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECBAMFACFBYf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AnzO37vlVJem0hRHWP0mpvqRtB04AA3v6En6Rm6cW6ci8i4xS3BuZUc2NbFlFhCApLfvbC/AEnZA3jGEW9XQuzi2MEciR6VeNVN1s9bhkVbDiJT7AHz6c/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Amber Heard has revealed that she will settle the defamation case by agreeing to pay the $10 million she was charged with in punitive damages against her ex-husband Johnny Depp.
The 36-year-old actress announced the settlement via a statement released on Instagram and claimed that she came to this conclusion after a lot of deliberation. This comes several weeks after the televised trial that took place in Fairfax County. She had originally intended to appeal the verdict before she made the statement on December 19, 2022.
While Heard claimed to settle the $10 million that she was charged with, she maintained her innocence and stated that this does not mean she has pleaded guilty.
She said:
"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."
Amber Heard will settle the defamation case and not appeal the June 1 decision
Amber Heard released a four-page statement on Instagram announcing that she will settle the defamation case she lost to Johnny Depp. She stated that although she will pay, her agreeing to do so by no means suggests that she is guilty.
In the statement, she mentioned how she has been trying to emancipate herself from the situation for six years but has been brought back to it by the case. She said that settling the case was her attempt to move on even though it was not her choice.
She said:
"It’s important for me to say that I never chose this. This is an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to."
She continued by commenting on the American legal system and compared it to the British one. She said that she felt vindicated in the U.K. during the trial where Johnny Depp went against The Sun and Dan Wooton for labeling him a "wife beater." Amber Heard claimed to have felt that the case in the US was just seen as "entertainment."
She added:
"I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder."
Netizens react to Heard's statement
Netizens wondered if Heard was forced to settle because she mentioned that it was not her choice, suggesting that her lawyers may have influenced her to take this step. Many sided with her, claiming that the judicial system ripped into her and didn’t treat her fairly.
However, supporters of Johnny Depp rejoiced at the news and considered it a massive win.
Amber Heard ended her statement by claiming that she will not be dissuaded, threatened, or disheartened from sharing her truth and will continue to do so with the support and help of other survivors, her appellate team, and those who believe her.
Depp and Heard were earlier involved in a legal battle after the former filed a $50 million defamation claim against the Aquaman actress. This came after Amber Heard penned an op-ed in the Washington Post and referred to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse," as per Variety.
Both actors took the stand and testified before a seven-person jury announced the verdict in favor of Depp.
