Current:Home > InvestHow Johnny Depp Is Dividing Up His $1 Million Settlement From Amber Heard -GrowthProspect
How Johnny Depp Is Dividing Up His $1 Million Settlement From Amber Heard
View
Date:2025-04-24 20:33:01
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! (47871)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Billie Eilish Fires Back at Critics Calling Her a Sellout for Her Evolving Style
- This satellite could help clean up the air
- California Utility Says Clean Energy Will Replace Power From State’s Last Nuclear Plant
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Defense arguments are set to open in a landmark climate case brought by Montana youth
- Massachusetts’ Ambitious Clean Energy Bill Jolts Offshore Wind Prospects
- Ultimatum: Queer Love’s Vanessa Admits She Broke This Boundary With Xander
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Canada's record wildfire season continues to hammer U.S. air quality
Ranking
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Shop Incredible Dyson Memorial Day Deals: Save on Vacuums, Air Purifiers, Hair Straighteners & More
- The 33 Most Popular Amazon Items E! Readers Bought This Month
- When work gets too frustrating, some employees turn to rage applying
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Proof Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's Latest Date Night Was Hella Good
- American Climate Video: Giant Chunks of Ice Washed Across His Family’s Cattle Ranch
- How Pruitt’s New ‘Secret Science’ Policy Could Further Undermine Air Pollution Rules
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Book bans are on the rise. Biden is naming a point person to address that
Abortion access could continue to change in year 2 after the overturn of Roe v. Wade
In Latest Blow to Solar Users, Nevada Sticks With Rate Hikes
Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
What to Make of Some Young Evangelicals Abandoning Trump Over Climate Change?
In the Mountains and Deserts of Utah, Columbia Spotted Frogs Are Sentinels of Climate Change
They tried and failed to get an abortion. Texas family grapples with what it'll mean