On Monday morning, Heard announced in a statement that she had made “a very difficult decision” to settle the defamation case brought against her by her ex-husband Johnny Depp, who is 59 years old.
The case was brought against her in Virginia, where a seven-person jury found that Heard defamed Depp in her op-ed, and they awarded him more than $10 million in damages.
According to what Heard stated in her statement, “It’s vital for me to convey that I never chose this.”
“I stood up for what I believed to be right, and as a result, the life that I had known was obliterated.”
She said, “Now I finally have the chance to emancipate myself from something I tried to leave over six years ago and on conditions I can agree to. I have made no admission.
This in no way constitutes a compromise on our part. In the future, there will not be any limitations or gags placed on my ability to use my voice.”
This verdict is not going away any time soon. Depp has said that it has nothing to do with the money as he was just curious to find out the truth.”
In the statement that Heard released, the actress made a comparison between the reception her testimony received in Johnny Depp’s libel case against The Sun in November 2020 in the United Kingdom and the reception it received in the United States more recently, writing that “popularity and power mattered more than reason and due process.”
Heard stated in his letter, “I just cannot go through it for a third time.”
Heard went on to claim that the court process in the United States “has proved itself inadequate to defend me and my right to free expression.”
“I cannot afford to risk an impossible debt – one that is not only financial, but also psychological, physical, and emotional,” the actress said. “It would be hard for me to pay all of those bills.”
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