Amber Heardhas yet to pay her previously pledged $3.5 million donation from her divorce settlement, said Terence Dougherty, chief operating officer of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
In a pre-recorded deposition played in court Thursday, Dougherty testified that Heard, 36, promised to donate half of her $7 million settlement from her divorce fromJohnny Deppto the ACLU, with the rest of the sum going to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
By the time of the deposition’s recording in December 2021, the ACLU (which is a nonprofit dedicated to defending individuals' rights and liberties) had only received $1.3 million in her name, he said.
Heard has not yet taken the stand in this case, and lawyers for theAquamanactress did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The pair met while making the 2011 movieThe Rum Diaryand later wed in February 2015. They broke up in May 2016, when Heard sought a domestic violence restraining order against him, accusing him of abusing her. Depp denied the claims, and they settled theirdivorceout of court in August 2016 (it was finalized in January 2017).
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Soon after, Heard said in a statement that “the amount received in the divorce was $7 millionand $7 million is being donated.”
“As described in the restraining order and divorce settlement, money played no role for me personally and never has, except to the extent that I could donate it to charity and, in doing so, hopefully help those less able to defend themselves,” she said at the time, adding that the amount she was pledging was “over and above any funds that I have given away in the past and will continue to give away in the future.”
She added that her donation would be divided between a number of charities with “a particular focus to stop violence against women” as well as the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, whichhonored her for a seven-figure donationback in 2018.
Last year, ajudge granted Depp permissionto force the ACLU reveal whether Heard has donated the full amount she pledged, and the organization was asked to release documents to confirm.
During a hearing last July, Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft said the actress was still planning to make the donations, though the schedule for doing so was yet “undetermined.” Bredehoft said at the time, “[Heard] has always said she fully intends to continue to give the full $7 million, but she can’t do it yet. She will do it when she can. But she has given a significant amount.”
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Back in November 2020, Depplost his highly publicized U.K. libel lawsuit caseagainst British tabloidThe Sunfor calling him a “wife-beater.” The court upheld the outlet’s claims as being “substantially true” and Heard testified to back up the claims. In March 2021, Depp’s attempt tooverturn the decision was overruled.
source: people.com
