Amber Heard issued a lengthy statement announcing she has privately settled her defamation case with Johnny Depp and will not be seeing her appeal through, TMZ reported Monday.
Heard will pay Depp $1 million, according to TMZ. The money will reportedly come from her insurance company and not out of Heard’s own pocket.
“After a great deal of deliberation I have made a very difficult decision to settle the defamation case brought against me by my ex-husband in Virginia,” Heard said in the statement, shared by TMZ. “It’s important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed.”
Heard said she has not admitted any guilt, according to the statement posted by TMZ. “This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward.”
Amber Heard is closing the book on the defamation case brought by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp — a decision that’s going to cost her 7 figures. https://t.co/KCvIh3p2qO
— TMZ (@TMZ) December 19, 2022
Heard reportedly said she felt vilified and victimized by social media.
“I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder,” she said before slamming the country’s judicial system, saying, “popularity and power mattered more than reason and due process,” according to the statement.
Heard said she “cannot afford to risk an impossible bill” and opted to strike a deal rather than apparently having to face bankruptcy, her statement continued, according to TMZ. (RELATED: ‘We’re Working On It Still’: Producer Teases Johnny Depp’s Possible Return To ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’)
“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,” Heard said.
Depp has not yet released a public statement regarding the settlement. His attorneys Camille Vasquez and Benjamen Chew reportedly told TMZ, “We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process his intent to bring the truth to light.”