According to a report, Johnny Depp got his truth, which was all he wanted in his legal battle with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
On Monday, the “Aquaman” star took to Instagram to give fans an update on her legal battle with Depp. To settle the lawsuit, she agreed to pay her ex-husband $1 million.
After Heard announced her decision to settle, Depp’s legal counsel, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, appeared to respond to her by issuing a statement.
They said in a statement to People:
“We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light.”
The lawyers also emphasized that Depp’s June 1 verdict remained “fully in place,” and Heard’s decision to pay the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star served as her agreement to how the defamation case ended.
They added:
“The jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgment in Mr. Depp’s favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place. The payment of $1 million — which Mr. Depp is pledging and will (actually) donate to charities — reinforces Ms. Heard’s acknowledgment of the conclusion of the legal system’s rigorous pursuit for justice.”
However, Heard clarified in an Instagram statement that “after much deliberation,” the decision to settle was “difficult” and was never her choice.
She wrote:
“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.”
She added:
“This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward. I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder.”
Heard went on to say that she couldn’t “re-live” the humiliation and face another trial for the third time. She resolved to use her time wisely and productively.
“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 n which I feel seen, heard and believed, and in which I know I can affect change.”
Heard announced her intention to appeal the verdict in June, just weeks after Depp’s significant legal victory. After learning that Heard defamed him in her 2018 Washington Post op-ed, the jury awarded the “Fantastic Beasts” star $15 million in damages, which was later reduced to $10.35 million.
Her spokesperson said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight:
“As stated in yesterday’s congressional hearings, you don’t ask for a pardon if you are innocent. And, you don’t decline to appeal if you know you are right.”
According to legal expert Julie Rendelman at the time, filing an appeal would be costly. According to an unnamed source, the “London Fields” actress is “not in a good place and is worried in general and financially.”
Depp decided to appeal the $2 million payout awarded to her for her countersuit as a result of Heard’s decision to appeal.
Vasquez said of why her client decided to appeal the verdict:
“Mr. Depp ended up filing his own appeal, so that the court could have the full record.”
Vasquez said on “CBS Mornings”:
“And [Heard] insists on continuing to litigate this matter, and we have to protect our client’s interest.”
Depp’s attorneys filed an appeal in November, arguing that the counterclaim was “erroneous” and that Depp should not be held liable for comments made by his attorney, Adam Waldman.
“Mr. Waldman is an independent contractor whose allegedly tortious conduct is not automatically attributable to Mr. Depp,” and “no evidence of Mr. Waldman’s actual malice was presented at trial,” according to Heard’s team.
The documents stated:
“Ms. Heard presented no evidence at trial that Mr. Depp was personally involved in directing or making any of the three Waldman Statements. Indeed, Mr. Depp testified that he had never even seen the Waldman Statements prior to the filing of the Counterclaim in August of 2020.”