By Aaron Miller-
Johnny Depp is to donate the USD$1 million (AUD$ 1.5 million, £823,000) from his settlement with Heard to a number of different charities, his lawyers have revealed.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard eventually settled their dispute and abandoned any future plans of litigation after a long legal battle which saw Heard eventually concede defeat to her former husband.
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The U.S actor will give every penny to charity but did not specify which charities he would give the money to.
A statement from his legal team read: “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,” Depp’s legal team wrote in a statement.
“The payment of $1M – which Mr. Depp is pledging and will (actually) donate to charities – reinforces Ms. Heard’s acknowledgement of the conclusion of the legal system’s rigorous pursuit for justice.”
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The million-dollar settlement, which Heard’s insurance company will pay, now ends the venomous dispute between the two stars.
In a statement of her own, Heard said the expression of her truth destroyed her life and she faced vilification
“After a great deal of deliberation I have made a very difficult decision to settle the defamation case brought against me by my ex-husband in Virginia,” the 36-year-old said.
“It’s important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed.
The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways in which women are re-victimised when they come forward.
“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 added: “I have made no admission [of guilt]. This is not an act of concession.”
Heard announced on Monday with a statement posted to social media that she made the “very difficult decision” to settle. She says that she still stands by her allegations but that she just couldn’t handle going through another trial, which is what would happen if her pending appeal was successful.
“Time is precious, and I want to spend my time productively and purposefully,” Heard’s statement read in part. “For too many years I have been caged in an arduous and expensive legal process, which has shown itself unable to protect me and my right to free speech. I cannot afford to risk an impossible bill – one that is not just financial but also psychological, physical, and emotional.
Women shouldn’t have to face abuse or bankruptcy for speaking her truth, but unfortunately, it is not uncommon.”
“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,” the statement reads. “The jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgment in Mr. Depp’s favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place.
The payment of $1 million – which Mr. Depp is pledging and will (actually) donate to charities – reinforces Ms. Heard’s acknowledgment of the conclusion of the legal system’s rigorous pursuit for justice.”
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