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We learned yesterday that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had finally settled their divorce case and more. Amber dropped her domestic violence restraining order, they released a carefully-worded joint statement and Amber is getting $7 million (she claims she’ll donate some or all of it to charity). What followed in the wake of the announcement was a series of interesting “analysis” pieces about why the statement was so carefully worded, etc. People Mag had a decent piece – go here to read. E! News also got an exclusive with an unnamed source about why Amber chose to settle:

After several months of highly publicized drama surrounding the pair, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard reached a settlement in their divorce as the actor agreed to pay his former wife $7 million. The question remains: Why did Amber decide to settle? Well, an insider tells E! News, “Amber was happy to settle because she wanted everything to be over. It’s taken a toll on her, her family and her friends in a very emotional way.”

Our source also said Johnny wanted the settlement from the start. “Johnny did not want to go to trial. Since Amber filed the restraining order J.D. had hoped things would settle… Initially, being the stubborn people they are, they both didn’t want to give in to each other’s requests. For a long time Amber lived with a lot of hurt and had been deeply affected by J.D.’s behavior, but chose not to say anything. Whenever something would happen, he’d apologize, and they’d move on. Johnny never wanted the world to know any of this.”

Now that they’ve reached a settlement and can both move on, the source said, “Amber hopes Johnny will get the help he needs and wishes him the best.”

[From E! News]

I do think Amber was prepared to go to trial on this, not out of stubbornness, but out of necessity. Depp brushed off her attempts at settlement from the start and he believed he could gaslight her and destroy her publicly and not pay her anything. So I do feel proud of Amber that she was able to stand up to not only Johnny Depp, but all of the people around Depp who made it their mission to paint in her a terrible light.

Meanwhile, Amber’s lawyers Samantha Spector and Joseph Koenig issued a statement after the news of the settlement, saying: “We are very pleased that this matter has been settled and Amber has been vindicated in the Court of Public Opinion. The case was incredibly challenging and demanding on everyone involved, but mostly on Amber who showed great grace and strength under fire. It was an honor to represent her. “ Except that just hours later, they had to take it back and say that their statement was “made without the knowledge or approval of Amber Heard” and “The statement is untrue and we retract it, without qualification. My assertion that Amber Heard has been vindicated in the court of public opinion is not true. We regret the error and apologize to Johnny Depp.” Thankfully, it won’t affect the settlement deal.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
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