Amber Heard makes 'difficult decision' to settle Johnny Depp defamation case

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp have reached a settlement in their Virginia defamation case.

Heard, 36, announced on Instagram Monday the "difficult decision" was made "after a great deal of deliberation."

"It’s important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as a 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-victimized when they come forward," she wrote.

Heard added that their settlement was made "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," the actress said.

Depp's lawyers say Heard will pay $1 million, which he will "donate to charities."

"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," Depp's attorney's Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez said in a statement to USA TODAY.

"The jury's unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp's favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place. The payment of $1M - which Mr. Depp is pledging and will actually donate to charities - reinforces Ms. Heard's acknowledgement of the conclusion of the legal system's rigorous pursuit for justice," the statement said.

Heard said she settled after having "lost faith in the American legal system." In 2020, Depp lost his libel case against British tabloid The Sun in the United Kingdom. He sued over an April 2018 article that called him a “wife-beater.” Heard testified as the main witness for News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun.

Referencing that trial in her Instagram post, the "Aquaman" alum said she 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 violence." In the U.S., however, Heard said "popularity and power mattered more than reason and due process."

USA TODAY has reached out to Heard's lawyers.

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What was the verdict in the Johnny Depp, Amber Heard defamation trial?

In the U.S. case, Depp sued his ex-wife Heard for defamation in 2019, accusing her of defaming him in a 2018 op-ed for the Washington Post and seeking $50 million. She countersued, also for defamation over comments made by Depp's former lawyer Adam Waldman when he called her abuse allegations a hoax, seeking $100 million.

The televised trial began on April 11 and lasted for a grueling six weeks, with both parties and their witnesses testifying about alleged abuse they endured during the couple's 15-month marriage that began in 2015.

On June 1, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star won the defamation lawsuit, with a Virginia jury awarding him more than $10 million in damages and vindicating his stance that Heard fabricated claims that Depp abused her before and during their brief marriage.

Heard also partially won her countersuit with the jury awarding her $2 million in damages.

Heard appealed to get the verdict overturned or have a new trial

Heard's announcement of a settlement comes weeks after she appealed trial Judge Penney Azcarate's July 13 rejection of Heard's post-trial attempt to get the verdict overturned and a new trial ordered.

In an opening brief of her appellate obtained by USA TODAY on Dec. 5, Heard said the decision "undoubtedly will have a chilling effect on other women who wish to speak about abuse involving powerful men."

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Heard addressed the appeal in her Instagram statement on Dec. 19, writing, "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 a third time."

"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," she added.

Under Virginia court rules, Heard had to post a bond for $10.3 million plus 6% interest while her appeal is pending.

Heard concluded her post by thanking her "outstanding appellate and original trial teams for their relentless hard work" as well as those who have shown solidarity.

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Contributing: Maria Puente and Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amber Heard, Johnny Depp reach settlement in defamation case