It’s felt like the longest court case in showbiz history, as we enter the sixth week of Johnny Depp’s $50m libel case against Amber Heard. But fans were left confused last week, when it was revealed that the actress – who has accused Johnny of domestic abuse – hadn’t yet made that much-talked-about $7m charitable donation from her divorce payout – despite suggesting that she’d done it years ago.
A year after her acrimonious divorce from the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor was finalised in 2017, Amber, 36, confirmed the money “was donated” to civil rights group American Civil Liberties Union and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. At the time, CHLA honoured the Aquaman star in their donors list, with Amber declaring, “My philanthropic efforts have always been centred around medical care, especially with women and children.”
The star seemingly confirmed the donation had been given again during a previous court case with Johnny, 58, in 2020, saying under oath, “The entire amount of my divorce settlement was donated to charity.”
But last week, Amber – who met the actor on set of 2011’s The Rum Diary – was asked again if the money had been handed over. “I pledged the entirety of the $7m to charity and I intend to fulfil those obligations,” she explained, adding, “I use pledge and donation synonymously with each other.”
Lawyers asked her directly if it had been paid to the two charities, with Amber replying, “I have not yet. Johnny sued me.”
Later, she added the reason for the delay was “because Johnny sued me for $50m in March 2019, and I’ve spent over $6m.”
