Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have settled their defamation lawsuits following a high-profile trial earlier this year in which the former couple accused each other of physical and verbal abuse.
Heard announced the settlement Monday on social media. Both sides had filed appeals of various aspects of the jury’s verdicts in June. The seven-person civil jury had awarded Depp $10 million in damages, but also awarded $2 million to Heard.
Depp’s camp said the deal includes a $1 million payment from her to him to settle all financial claims.
“I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder,” Heard said in an Instagram post on Monday morning.
In June, the jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages (though a cap on punitive damages in Virginia meant that the actual amount was $10.35 million). It also awarded Heard $2 million in a countersuit against Depp.
In a statement, Depp’s attorneys Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez said the settlement involved a $1 million payment to the actor.
“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,” Chew and Vasquez said in a statement sent to NPR. “The jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp’s favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place. The payment of $1M – which Mr. Depp is pledging and will donate to charities – reinforces Ms. Heard’s acknowledgement of the conclusion of the legal system’s rigorous pursuit for justice. “