Amber Heard won’t have another trial with Johnny Depp – but still encourages survivors
Amber Heard speaks out about the rumours that she will not contest her lost lawsuit with Johnny Depp. Nevertheless, she encourages other survivors.
The headline-making defamation trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp has been settled. That means there will be no more trial with Amber Heard appealing the conviction. After a high-profile and tense trial in Virginia in early 2022, the jury agreed that the two ex-partners:in had defamed each other. Amber Heard was ordered to pay Johnny Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Although she first planned to appeal the verdict, Amber Heard has now withdrawn the appeal.
Amber Heard will not start another trial against Johnny Depp
Amber Heard shared the news in a lengthy statement posted on her Instagram on Monday, December 19, 2022: "It's important for me to say that I never chose this," Amber Heard wrote. "I defended my truth, and in doing so, my life as I knew it was destroyed. The vilification I faced on social media is an amplified version of the way women are re-victimised when they speak out."
Nevertheless, she insists that this is not an admission of guilt, nor are there any restrictions or gags preventing her from sharing her truth.
Amber Heard does not want to face such a trial again
Amber Heard continues in her Instagram post, "In the meantime, I've been subjected to a kind of humiliation that I just can't go through again." She also talks about a sobering best-case scenario: "Even if my appeal is successful in the US, the best outcome would be a retrial where a new jury would have to consider the age of the evidence. I just can't go through that a third time."
During the trial, Amber Heard, who accused Johnny Depp of abuse, was painted as a villain by Depp supporters. When the verdict was announced, Depp fans, including some celebrities, celebrated the verdict. Since then, Johnny Depp has been welcomed back to the entertainment industry with an appearance at the VMAs shortly after the trial ended. Among other things, he is to play the lead role of King Louis XV in the French film "La Favorite", which will be released in 2023.
"I want to thank my outstanding appeals and litigation teams for their tireless hard work," wrote Amber Heard. "Every:r survivor knows that the opportunity to tell their story often feels like the only relief. I cannot find enough words to tell you what hope your faith in me inspires. Not just for me, but for all of you." The trial of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp in 2022 was used, among other things, to discredit women who spoke out about their abuse. After the horrific media mudslinging of the first trial and the horrific treatment of Amber Heard on the internet, it seems the best thing for her to do is settle the trial. Nevertheless, Amber Heard will not let it get her down and will continue to use her voice - thus continuing to encourage all survivors.
