Amber Heard drops defamation lawsuit against Johnny Depp’s friend and comedian Doug Stanhope

The actress decided to launch a defamation case against Stanhope after he accused her of 'blackmailing' Depp

The settlement follows one of the most acrimonious high-profile separations in recent history (Getty)

Amber Heard has dropped a defamation lawsuit against Johnny Depp’s friend Doug Stanhope after he accused her of “blackmailing” her estranged husband Depp.

In a column published in The Wrap in May, Stanhope, a comedian, claimed Heard had attempted to “blackmail” Depp by “threatening to lie about him publicly in any and every possible duplicitous way if he didn’t agree to her terms”.

Heard’s lawyer, Peter Sample responded to the claims in the column, telling the publication the “allegations against Ms Heard are absolutely and unequivocally false”. He said Stanhope’s claims of blackmail “have no basis in reality and is nothing but the typical celebrity muckraking for profit” and demanded a retraction of the article.

In June, the 30-year-old actress decided to launch a defamation lawsuit against Stanhope on the grounds of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and tortious interference with existing and prospective economic relationships. The suit claimed the article was part of a “calculated publicity campaign to smear Heard” and the article “falsely accuses plaintiff Amber Heard of ‘blackmail’ and other criminal behaviour towards her husband, Johnny Depp, from whom she is seeking a divorce”.

According to a legal document obtained by TMZ, Heard has now dropped the lawsuit against Stanhope.

Stanhope’s lawyer, David Gingras, confirmed the news to Entertainment Tonight.

“Doug is happy that Amber is dropping the case against him. It looks like Amber and Johnny have resolved things. He is pleased both parties are moving forward,” Gingras said.

“He is sorry there was a falling out, but is happy that everyone is taking the high road and moving on”.

Heard and Depp reached an out of court $7 million settlement in August, with Heard choosing to donate the full sum of the settlement to two charities.

The settlement follows one of the most acrimonious high-profile separations in recent history which saw Heard accuse Depp of physical and emotional abuse and Depp strongly deny those allegations.

After the agreement was reached, Heard and Depp released a joint statement, saying: “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.”

A representative for Heard and Stanhope did not immediately respond to request for comment.