Amber Heard Announces She Is Settling Johnny Depp Defamation Case

Actress Amber Heard (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) has announced that she is settling the defamation case against ex-husband Johnny Depp. In a statement posted to social media, Heard said that "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." 

The statement continues to express that Heard is tired of experiencing massive public backlash while pursuing legal action against Depp; it also alludes to a settlement that will give Heard the "opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to." 

Finally, the statement ends with Amber Heard saying (in no uncertain terms) that "I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession."

This statement is something of a surprise, as just weeks ago we reported that Amber Heard had officially filed an appeal against Johnny Depp and the rulings he won in their Virginia court battle during the summer of this year. That case gained worldwide media attention, and indeed it seemed that Heard was the bigger target of criticism if not outright vitriol – especially online, where comments, memes, or "in-depth analysis" of her history with Depp and courtroom appearances were a major source of content and exposure for those looking to capitalize on it. Heard also expressed how the trial allegedly impacted her work as an actress, throwing everything from her role in Aquaman 2 to future projects into question. 

Meanwhile, Johnn Depp seemed to come out of the Virginia trial finally able to re-galvanize his film career. He is currently filming a role as King Louis XV, and talks are already mounting that Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow could return to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. In that context, it's not hard to imagine both Depp and Heard being fatigued with the headlines and social media attacks that come with trials – as well as wanting to maintain the momentum of rebuilding their onscreen careers, and letting offscreen drama fade out of pop culture memory. Depp and Heard first divorced in 2016, and have spent years battling in courts and the court of public opinion, accusing each other of abuse and defamation. 

You can read Amber Heard's full statement about her decision to settle with Johnny Depp, below: 

"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. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as 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. 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 t. I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are not restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward."