Reps for Johnny Depp say the actor will donate the $1 million defamation settlement he’s due to receive from Amber Heard to various charities. Heard announced on December 19 that she “made a very difficult decision to settle the defamation case brought against me by my ex-husband in Virginia” in order to close that chapter of her life and move on. As a result, she will pay less than 1/10th of the settlement amount, which Depp will pass on to good causes.
- Heard insisted her settlement with Johnny Depp is not an admission of guilt. If anything, it was a way for her to free herself from the shackles of the bitter legal battles with her ex-husband that have arisen since their split in 2016. “It’s important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways in which women are re-victimized when they come forward. 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 [of guilt]. This is not an act of concession.”
- Depp’s lawyers released their own statement following the settlement agreement. “We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light,” they said, per People. “The payment of $1M — which Mr. Depp is pledging and will (actually) donate to charities — reinforces Ms. Heard’s acknowledgment of the conclusion of the legal system’s rigorous pursuit for justice.”
- The $1 million settlement will allegedly be paid to Johnny Depp by Heard’s insurance company. It brings the extremely acrimonious dispute between the formal couple to a close. It also cancels out the appeal filed by Heard on November 23. It also remains unclear whether or not Depp will have to pay Heard the $1 million she was awarded as part of her counterclaim during the trial.
