American actress, Amber Heard, said in a post on Instagram, Monday, that she will settle a defamation lawsuit filed against her by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, after months of a weeks-long televised trial.
Heard described the decision to settle with Depp as “very difficult”, adding that it came after “a great deal of deliberation”.
And a Virginia jury ruled last June that Heard, the heroine of the movie Aquaman, defamed Depp, the hero of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, by writing an opinion article in 2018, in a six-week trial that was widely watched and included clear and frank evidence and testimony explaining Detailing the strained relationship between the former spouses.
The jury also ruled in favor of Heard in some aspects of her counterclaim against Depp.
“It is important for me to say that I never chose this. I stood up for my right, and in doing so my life was ruined,” she said, adding that “the defamation I faced on social media is a version of the ways women are victimized again when they move forward.” And they scream.”
In her statement, Heard framed the settlement as a last resort, describing it as “an opportunity to free myself from something I’ve tried to let go of for over six years and on terms I can agree to.”
She added: “I had exhausted almost all my resources before and during a courtroom trial in which the abundant and direct evidence supporting my testimony was excluded and in which popularity and authority were more important than reason and due process. In the meantime, I was subjected to a kind of humiliation which I simply cannot bear.” I live it again.”
Hurd said settling the case would allow her to spend her time “productively and meaningfully” after “many years locked in a tedious and expensive legal process that proved unable to protect me and my right to freedom of expression.”
The jury had decided to award Depp $15 million in compensation from Heard, while awarding her $2 million in compensation.
On the other hand, Depp’s lawyers said in a statement that they were “happy to officially close this painful chapter for Mr. Depp,” noting that the matter was not about money.
While a source close to Depp stated that the ruling against Heard could still be used against her if she were to make false or defamatory allegations in the future, contrary to what she wrote in her statement, according to what the network reported. NBC News.
Depp, 58, sued Heard for $50 million in damages, saying she defamed him when she described herself as a “public figure representing (the tragedy of) domestic violence” in her article published in the Washington Post.
On the other hand, Hurd, 36, demanded $100 million in compensation, saying that Depp abused her when his lawyer described her accusations as “vexatious”.
Depp denied hitting Hurd or any woman, and said that Hurd was the one who used violence with him in their relationship.