Amber Heard settles Johnny Depp defamation case
The actress has agreed to pay her ex-husband $1-million (R17m).
'Aquaman' star Amber Heard has ditched her appeal against Johnny Depp after agreeing to a settlement.
"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," the 36-year-old wrote on Instagram.
The 36-year-old has agreed to pay her ex-husband $1-million (R17-million). The settlement comes several months after a judge rejected her demand for a new trial.
Amber planned to appeal the case, but now says she has lost faith in the American legal system.
"Even if my US appeal is successful, the best outcome would be a retrial where a new jury would have to consider the evidence again. I simply cannot go through that for a third time."
The actress added that she defended her truth during the trial.
"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," she said.
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A jury awarded Johnny more than $10 million in damages after finding Amber guilty of defamation following a 2018 op-ed she wrote about sexual violence.
Amber earned a small victory at the trial. The jury awarded her $2-million for a comment made by Johnny's lawyer.
Meanwhile, sources close to Johnny have made it clear that the case was never about money, saying he "wanted the truth".
"He has always said he wasn't looking to destroy her. He said it wasn't about money, and it's not! He just wanted the truth," the source told PEOPLE.
Lawyers for the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star say he will be donating the money he receives in the settlement to charity.
"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," attorneys Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez told the publication.
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