Amber Heard Pays Johnny Depp $1 Million Settlement 1 Year After Trial – A year later, the Virginia defamation case between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp has concluded, with the issuance of a $1 million settlement to Johnny Depp. According to a source close to Johnny Depp, the 60-year-old actor plans to distribute the payment to five charities of his choice, allocating $200,000 to each organization.
The selected charities include the Make-A-Film Foundation, The Painted Turtle, Red Feather, Tetiaroa Society, and Amazonia Fund Alliance. There was no immediate response from a representative of Heard when requested for comment. Following the June 1, 2022 verdict, both Depp and Heard filed appeals but later withdrew them and reached a settlement, which was announced in December.
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In a statement during that period, the 37-year-old Heard described the decision to settle as a “very difficult decision” and clarified that it was not an admission of guilt. “It’s important for me to say that I never chose this,” Heard wrote. “I defended my truth, in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed. The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways 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,” she continued. “I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward.” Heard said she was “exposed to a type of humiliation that I simply cannot re-live” during the live-televised trial and she “simply cannot go through that for a third time.”
She added at the time, “I cannot afford to risk an impossible bill — one that is not just financial, but also psychological, physical and emotional. Women shouldn’t have to face abuse or bankruptcy for speaking her truth, but unfortunately it is not uncommon.” “I will not be threatened, disheartened or dissuaded by what happened from speaking the truth. No one can and no one will take that from me. My voice forever remains the most valuable asset I have,” Heard said.
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Also in December, Depp’s attorneys Benjamin Chew and Camille Vazquez issued a statement about the settlement. “The jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp’s favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place,” they said. “The payment of $1 million — which Mr. Depp is pledging and will (actually) donate to charities — reinforces Ms. Heard’s acknowledgement of the conclusion of the legal system’s rigorous pursuit for justice.” Last month, Depp made a notable public appearance during the opening day of the Cannes Film Festival.