Johnny Depp has reportedly decided where to give the $1 million he received from Amber Heard as part of their widely publicized defamation trial, with CNN learning this from a source close to Depp.
On Tuesday, June 13, the source said that Depp has decided to split the settlement money among five different organizations: the Make-A-Film Foundation, The Painted Turtle, Red Feather, the Tetiaroa Society charity established in honor of Marlon Brando, and the Amazonia Fund Alliance.
One insider said that the Pirates of the Caribbean star would give $200,000 to each of the five organizations.
2022 Defamation Case
In June 2022, a jury in Virginia convicted Heard and Depp both guilty of defamation. Heard agreed to pay Depp $1 million in damages as part of a settlement reached between the two in December of that year.
Depp's attorneys issued a statement at the time saying their client intended to give all of the Heard settlement money to charity.
When the case first went to trial in June 2022 in Virginia, a jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Heard received $2 million in compensatory damages but no punitive penalties.
In the end, the amount of money that Heard owed Depp in damages was lowered to $1 million in December 2022.
Heard announced the settlement on her verified Instagram at the time, saying that she had "made no admission" and that the agreement was "not an act of concession."
Heard explained her choice on social media, writing, "I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder."
Attorneys representing Depp, Camille Vasquez, and Benjamin Chew, released a statement to CNN saying, "We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout the process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light."
Return to the Big Screen
Amber Heard is reportedly prepared to get back onto the red carpet. The Aquaman celebrity recently announced her return to the big screen. In a report by Page Six, she is rumored to make an appearance at the 69th Taormina Film Festival on June 24 in Sicily, Italy.
The premiere of her new film In The Fire will be her first public appearance since her ex-husband Johnny Depp won his defamation case against her, according to Deadline.
Heard is said to be attending the premiere alongside the film's director, Conor Allyn, and her co-star, Eduardo Noriego. In the movie, the actress portrays a pioneering psychiatrist who is entrusted with helping a disturbed child in the supernatural thriller set in 1899.
