More than eight months after the beginning of the trial that ate up so much of the world's attention in the spring of this year, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp have finally closed the book on their defamation case. On Monday it was revealed that Johnny has agreed to accept a significantly-reduced settlement from Amber. In the end, Amber will pay $1 million. That's down from roughly $8 million.
Heard herself announced the settlement without disclosing the dollar amount in a lengthy press statement through her Instagram account. She says the settlement is "not an act of concession" and constitutes "no admission" of wrongdoing on her part. But, she says, the decision represents the end result of her exhaustion and disappointment with a system she says let not just her down but other victims of domestic violence. A cause that she indicates she is not done supporting in her public life, despite the outcome of this legal battle:
"I will not be threatened, disheartened or dissuaded by what happened from speaking the truth. No one can and no one will take that from me. My voice forever remains the most valuable asset I have."
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A source has told TMZ that the actual settled upon figure is $1 million, a fraction of the approximately $10 million she owed Depp after a jury found her guilty of defamation against his character. Technically, the net amount owed was closer to $8 million because the jury ordered Johnny to pay Amber$2 million.
And the $1 million reportedly won't be coming from her own personal funds, but instead covered by her insurer Heard was in a legal dispute with at least one insurance company earlier this year over their liability in paying off her legal fees and the ruling against her in the trial.
Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Chew, attorneys for Johnny Depp, released a statement of their own on the settlement, saying their client pledges to donate the entire $1 million sum (a figure that is specified in their statement) to charity.
