Earlier this week, Johnny Depp and his now ex-wife Amber Heard reached a divorce settlement. The split was notoriously volatile, with Heard alleging spousal abuse. The actors were only married for 15 months, and Depp reportedly paid Heard $7 million to walk away including attorneys’ fees. This is their official joint statement:
“Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never an intent of physical or emotional harm. Amber wishes the best for Johnny in the future. Amber will be donating the financial proceeds from the divorce to a charity.”
The announcement of the settlement came only days after a video, reportedly filmed by Amber Heard, was leaked. It showed disturbing footage of Depp throwing a wine bottle and glass at Amber before yelling and lunging for her phone. Heard also reported that Depp assaulted her and bruised her face on May 21, two days before she filed for divorce. At one point in time, Heard also obtained a restraining order against Depp because of his physical violence towards her. According to the official press release that a settlement had been reached, Amber’s claims that Depp was physically abusive have been dropped.
However, it seems that this claim is meant to keep the case out of court, and not due to dishonesty on Amber’s part. This is indicated by her decision to donate her entire settlement to two charities: the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and the American Civil Liberties union. The portion of the money that Heard is donating to the ACLU is given “with a particular focus to stop violence against women.” Heard said,
“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…I know these organizations will put the funds to good use and look forward to continuing to support them in the future. Hopefully, this experience results in a positive change in the lives of the people who need it the most.”
