Amber Heard has decided to settle down the defamation case against Johnny Depp. The Aquaman actress took to social media and announced in a statement that she has made “a very difficult decision” to settle the defamation case brought against her by ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Heard filed the defamation case after a seven-person jury found that Heard defamed Depp in her op-ed about domestic violence and he was awarded more than $10 million in damages.Heard shared in the statement that she never chose all this. Heard wrote in her statement, “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.”
In Heard’s latest statement, the actress compared her testimony in Depp’s U.K. libel case against The Sun in November 2020 was received, to the way her more recent testimony in the U.S. was, noting “popularity and power mattered more than reason and due process.” The actress then added that she cannot go through that for a third time, adding, that the U.S. legal process has shown itself unable to protect her and her right to free speech.
Amber continues, “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 is not uncommon.” Heard also stated Monday that she is “choosing the freedom to dedicate my time to the work that helped me heal after my divorce.”
Amber Heard concluded her statement by noting, “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.” For the unversed, Heard had previously appealed the defamation verdict in November, demanding a reversal or new trial and saying the outcome has a “chilling effect” on women speaking out.
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