Amber Heard Finally Makes A ‘Very Difficult Decision’ To Settle The Defamation Case Filed By Ex-Husband Johnny Depp: “Women Shouldn’t Have To Face Abuse Or Bankruptcy…”
Amber Heard took to social media to announce she is settling the defamation case filed against her by her ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Amber Heard Has Made “The Very Difficult Decision” To Settle The Defamation Case Filed By Ex-Husband Johnny Depp, Says “The Vilification I Have Faced On Social Media…”(Photo Credit –wikimedia/Instagram)
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Who doesn’t know about the drama surrounding ex-couple Amber Heard and Johnny Depp? In case you don’t (or just as a reminder), Depp sued Heard for $50 million in damages owing to an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018. In the said article, the ‘The Rum Diary’ actress wrote that said she became a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Even though she never mentioned the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ actor by name, his lawyers argued that it was about him.
Johnny has denied all allegations of domestic abuse and recently won the lawsuit against her. Now, the ‘All the Boys Love Mandy Lane’ actress took to her Instagram handle and announced that she is no longer moving forward with her defamation appeal against the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor. Scroll below to read her lengthy statement.
Amber Heard began, “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. 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. The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways in which women are re-victimised when they come forward.” She continued, “Now I finally have an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to. 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 – in her lengthy statement explaining why she is settling the defamation filed by Johnny Depp, stated, “I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder.” Commenting on the American judicial system, the Aquaman actress added, “When I stood before a judge in the UK, I was vindicated by a robust, impartial, and fair system, where I was protected from having to give the worst moments of my testimony in front of the world’s media, and where the court found that I was subjected to domestic and s*xual violence. 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.”
She continued, “In the interim I was exposed to a type of humiliation that I simply cannot re-live. Even if my US appeal is successful, the best outcome would be a re-trial where a new jury would have to consider the evidence again. I simply cannot go through that for the third time.” Johnny Depp’s ex-wife’s post further read, “Time is precious and I want to spend my time productively and purposefully. For too many years I have been caged in an arduous and expensive legal process, which has shown itself unable to protect me and my right to free speech. 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.”
Amber Heard’s statement further read, “In settling this case I am also choosing the freedom to dedicate my time to the work that helped me heal after my divorce; work that exists in realms in which I feel seen, heard, and believed, and in which I know I can effect change.” “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.”
She concluded, “I’d like to thank my outstanding appellate and original trial teams for their relentless hard work. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and I turn my attention to the growing support that I’ve felt and seen publicly in the months since trial, and the efforts that have been made to show solidarity with my story. Any survivor knows that the ability to tell their story often feels like the only relief, and I cannot find enough words to tell you the hope your belief in me inspires, not just for me, but for all of you. Thank you. See you soon.”
Check out Amber Heard’s post here:
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