Thankfully someone posted a link to the document: https://pretty.direct/consentorder.pdf
The apology came from four people who signed the Open Letter who live in a special jurisdiction (the UK) where the burden of proof for libel is on the defense. The costs and damages were £20,000.
This exposes the narrator as unreliable. When I first read his paragraph, I read it as implying that a court judged the veracity of the women's claims. The words seem deliberately constructed to provide that impression.
In fact the court judgement is merely an acknowledgement that the UK defenders can't possibly prove the truth of the accusations and therefore they fold. Whether or not you prefer the UK system or the US system (which requires the plaintiff to prove falsehood), there's no vindication here. I feel lied to.
I can’t say I came to the same conclusions as you after reading that.
Also, for being an “unreliable” narrator he sure seems charitable to the people who ruined his life, no? I would expect someone with an axe to grind wouldn’t ask that they be forgiven.
i would certainly drop their names, and probably more illegal things if it happened to me.
but this isn't enough to draw conclusion. everyone is not Count of Monte Cristo, and can devote multiple years and money into revenge.
life is short,some people just want to move on.