Amber Heard Says She Has Settled Defamation Lawsuit With Johnny Depp
(CNN) -- Amber Heard has settled the defamation lawsuit with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, according to a statement posted on her verified Instagram account.Heard said she has "made no admission" and that the settlement is "not an act of concession." She pointed to her experience with the American legal system as part of her motivation for deciding to settle the case, alleging that "abundant, direct evidence that corroborated [her] testimony was excluded" and that "popularity and power mattered more than reason and due process.""I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder," Heard said.The actress filed an appeal in the defamation case earlier this month, but Heard said in her statement Monday that "even if [her] U.S.
appeal is successful, the best outcome would be a re-trial where a new jury would have to consider the evidence again."CNN has reached out to representatives for Heard and Depp for comment."I simply cannot go through that for a third time," Heard said in her post, adding that she wants to spend her time "productively and purposefully," and can't afford to "risk an impossible bill -- one that is not just financial, but also psychological, physical and emotional."Depp accused Heard of defaming him in a 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post.The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million dollars in punitive damages.
