After settling defamation charges against each other, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard severed their acrimonious relationship. When Amber Heard accused the Pirates of the Caribbean actor of maltreatment and domestic abuse in 2022, it was one of the most talked-about stories of the year. Howeverm the judgment came in her husband’s favor. The parties struck a final agreement in which Amber Heard’s insurance company agreed to pay her ex-husband $1 million.
Unlike his ex-wife, who reneged on her commitment to donate the divorce settlement sum to charity, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor intends to donate the settlement money to other charities. In an Instagram post, Amber Heard stated that she had trouble accepting the settlement but was forced to do so because she could not financially and emotionally afford another trial.
Depp’s latest statement
ULIKA SHRESHTHI/ TIMES | Depp sued Heard over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018
Depp stated in a statement issued shortly after Heard disclosed an agreement between the two that he intends to contribute the $1 million paid by Heard to different charitable organizations. Depp’s attorneys, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, also stated that “putting the truth to light” was their client’s top objective.
The counsel stated that the jury’s unanimous verdict and the resultant verdict in Mr. Depp’s favor against Ms. Heard remain in full effect. “The payment of $1 million, which Mr. Depp has pledged and will contribute to charity, underlines Ms. Heard’s recognition of the conclusion of the judicial system’s hard pursuit of justice,” the statement stated.
Depp’s attorneys, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vazquez, added, “We are glad to formally close the door on this terrible chapter for Mr. Depp, who made it plain throughout this process that bringing the truth to light was his top concern.”
The reason behind this decision
neogenin / BC Children’s Hospital Foundation | Johnny Depp donates funds from $8,00,000 NFT sale to charity Amber Heard pledged but never donated to
Depp’s contribution announcement follows his recent reprise of his Pirates of the Caribbean franchise character Captain Jack Sparrow for a series of personal films sent in partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to a palliatively ill 11-year-old child called Kori.
According to a source close to Depp, the actor was approached by Make-A-Wish with “a timely request” to contact the child, who runs the pirate-themed YouTube channel “Kraken The Box.” Kori is a “huge” Jack Sparrow fan and regularly watched Pirates films “through his several heart operations and subsequent recoveries.”
Repercussions of Amber Heard’s false promises
ULIKA SHRESHTHI/ TIMES | Depp's lawyers are alluding to claims made by Heard after her divorce from Depp
Amber Heard declared in 2016 that she would give the $7 million divorce settlement amount she obtained from Johnny Depp to charity. She reportedly declared that the money would be split between the American Civil Liberties Union and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
When Depp’s defamation trial against Heard commenced in 2018, Heard reportedly claimed that she had received the whole settlement money by October 2018. She alerted the reporters around the same time that she had already made the gift.
However, an ACLU executive testified earlier in the trial that the group never got the entire $3.5 million pledged; only a $1.3 million gift was received, which was not nearly half of the amount promised. According to her testimony in the defamation trial, Heard still intends to contribute the entire amount of money she pledged. However, Depp’s lawsuit demanding up to $50 million in damages prohibited her from doing so.
