Current:Home > ScamsHow Johnny Depp Is Dividing Up His $1 Million Settlement From Amber Heard -NextFrontier Finance
How Johnny Depp Is Dividing Up His $1 Million Settlement From Amber Heard
View
Date:2025-04-19 05:04:53
New details have emerged about what Johnny Depp is doing with the $1 million he received from ex Amber Heard in the settlement of their defamation case.
A source close to the Pirates of the Caribbean actor told E! News Depp has selected five charities that will each receive a $200,000 donation.
Among the organizations is the Make a Film Foundation, which Depp has worked with in the past. The nonprofit fulfills the wishes of children with serious or life-threatening medical conditions by pairing them with actors, writers, directors and producers to work on a project.
The three-time Oscar nominee is also giving a portion of the settlement to The Painted Turtle, an organization founded by Paul Newman that provides a camp experience for kids with chronic and life-threatening illnesses, as well as to Red Feather, which works with Indigenous communities to create housing solutions.
The final sums will go to Marlon Brando's non-profit the Tetiaroa Society—which funds conservation efforts, scientific research and education programs for local schools to drive island sustainability—and the Amazonia Fund Alliance, which is a group of nonprofits and sustainability-driven companies that aim to protect preservations efforts in Indigenous communities throughout the Amazon.
The update comes nearly six months after Heard and Depp reached a settlement in their defamation case, which included her paying him $1 million. At the time, Depp's attorneys expressed his intent to donate the payment to charities and how he was happy to move forward from the case.
"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," his attorneys, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, told E! News at the time. "The jury's unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp's favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place."
Last June, after a headline-making trial, a jury in Virginia found that Heard was liable for defaming Depp in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed where she wrote that she was a "public figure representing domestic abuse." Although Depp was not mentioned by name in the piece, he alleged the op-ed from Heard—whom he wed in 2015 and finalized his divorce from in 2017—damaged his career.
The Black Mass star was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages (with the punitive damages later being reduced to $350,000 per the state's limit) as a result of the case.
Heard filed an appeal that July, and Depp appealed the $2 million she was awarded after the jury found that she was also defamed when one of his former lawyers called her abuse allegations a "hoax". However, the Aquaman actress later spoke about what led her to make "a very difficult decision" to settle the case.
"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 wrote in part of a December Instagram post. "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. I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder."
Watch E! News weeknights Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m., only on E!.veryGood! (245)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- What to know about the debut of Trump's $399 golden, high-top sneakers
- 'Sounded like a bomb': Ann Arbor house explosion injures 1, blast plume seen for miles
- Is Rooney Mara expecting her second child with Joaquin Phoenix?
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Powerball winning numbers for Feb. 17 drawing: Jackpot worth over $300 million
- Abortion rights opponents and supporters seize on report that Trump privately pushes 16-week ban
- Simu Liu Reveals the Secret to the People’s Choice Awards—and Yes, It’s Ozempic
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Noah Lyles edges out Christian Coleman to win national indoor title in men’s 60-meter dash
Ranking
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- As the homeless crisis worsens, unhoused people in these rural areas remain 'invisible'
- Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki's Son Found Dead at 19 at UC Berkeley
- Chrishell Stause Debuts Dramatic Haircut at 2024 People's Choice Awards
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Death and redemption in an American prison
- Death and money: How do you talk to your parents about the uncomfortable conversation?
- NBA All-Star Game again sees tons of points, lack of defense despite call for better competition
Recommendation
Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
Colorado university mourns loss of two people found fatally shot in dorm; investigation ongoing
Marco Troper, son of former YouTube CEO, found dead at UC Berkeley: 'We are all devastated'
Trump hawks $399 branded shoes at 'Sneaker Con,' a day after a $355 million ruling against him
Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
New Jersey Devils dress as Sopranos, Philadelphia Flyers as Rocky for Stadium Series game
How slain Las Vegas journalist Jeff German may have helped capture his own killer
Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly higher as Chinese markets reopen after Lunar New Year