His lawyers made a point of saying the 59-year-old actor 'will actually donate' the money he’s pledging. Photos: AP
Johnny Depp is pledging to donate US$1mil (RM4.4mil) to charities on the heels of ex-wife Amber Heard announcing she’d settle their defamation case.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean star, 59, announced the move Monday (Dec 19) in a statement his legal team made to E! News.
“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,” said Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez – who themselves became topics of Internet discourse amid the six-week trial.
“The jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp’s favour against Ms. Heard remain fully in place.”
Chew and Vasquez made a point of saying Depp “will actually donate” the money he’s pledging.
The remark seems to be a pointed nod to a pledge made by Heard, 36, to the American Civil Liberties Union. Information that the Aquaman star had donated less than half of the US$3.5mil (RM15.5mil) she pledged came to light early in the trial.
Depp sued Heard for US$50mil regarding a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, in which she labeled herself “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard countersued for US$100mil after a Depp lawyer slammed her allegations as a hoax.
The jury awarded US$10mil (RM44.3mil) in Depp’s suit and US$2mil (RM8.8mil) in Heard’s countersuit.
Heard took to Instagram Monday to say she would settle the case, but still maintained she “never chose this” and was “defending my truth.”
“I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession,” she continued.
Depp’s lawyers did not immediately respond to request for comment. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
