Amber Heard has finally paid $1 million settlement money to Johnny Depp, giving closure to their defamation lawsuit, which the latter won a year ago. A source close to Depp has confirmed the development.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star will now be donating the whole money to five different charities. Depp had filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against his former wife, Heard, in 2019 after her op-ed about being a victim of domestic violence was published in The Washington Post. The jury ruled in favor of the actor in June 2022.
Amber Heard Pays $1 Million Settlement Money to Johnny Depp
Heard’s reps have not yet commented on the development. However, sources close to Depp have confirmed that he has received the money. The two stars were embroiled in a messy and highly publicized defamation trial last year which brought some ugly secrets of their wedding to light.
After a six-week-long trial, a Virginia jury decided in favor of Depp in June last year and held Heard accountable for defaming the actor with her Washington Post op-ed. She was ordered to pay $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
Meanwhile, Heard was also awarded $2 million as the court ruled that she was defamed by one of Depp’s former lawyers, who labeled her abuse allegations as a ‘hoax’.
Heard and Depp Decided to Settle in December Last Year
Following the verdict, both Heard and Depp filed appeals in court, but they eventually decided to settle in December 2022, with the Aquaman actress agreeing to pay $1 million to The Professor actor. At the time, Heard said that settling was a very difficult decision for her.
“Now I finally have an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to. I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession,” she wrote on social media.
“There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward. I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder,” the 37-year-old continued.
Heard has now moved to Spain with her daughter. She will reportedly make her first major public appearance post the trial at the 69th Taormina Film Festival in Italy on June 24th. On the other hand, Depp recently returned to the red carpet with his appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Depp to Split the Money Among Five Charity Organizations
The 60-year-old actor will be splitting the $1 million among five different charities, donating $200k to each. The organization benefiting from the move includes the Make-A-Film Foundation, which supports children facing life-threatening conditions by fulfilling their dreams of creating and starring in their own movies.
Then there is The Painted Turtle which offers a fun and supportive environment to children with serious medical conditions and Red Feather which focuses on improving the lives of indigenous communities.
The rest of the amount will go to Teitaroa Society, a charity for the betterment of island and coastal communities, and Amazonia Fund Alliance, a coalition for preserving and protecting the Amazon rainforest through sustainable development.
For more news and updates, keep watching this space.
