When Heard and Depp finalized their divorce in 2017, they said in a 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 any intent of physical or emotional harm. Amber wishes the best for Johnny in the future. Amber will be donating financial proceeds from the divorce to a charity.” Heard then told PEOPLEin a statement of her own, “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. As reported in the media, the amount received in the divorce was $7 million and $7 million is being donated. This is over and above any funds that I have given away in the past and will continue to give away in the future.” During the Depp trial on Thursday, April 29, 2022, ACLU general counsel and chief operating officer Terence Dougherty testified (via a pre-taped deposition) that the organization, which protects individuals’ freedoms. had only received a total of $1.3 million in donations made in Heard’s name. The Aquamanstar pledged in $3.5 million to the ACLU, with the rest of her settlement going to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Dougherty testified that the ACLU had received four installments of Heard’s pledge, with Heard donating $350,000 herself in August 2016. According to Dougherty, Depp wrote the ACLU a check for $100,000; $350,000 from a Fidelity donor-advised fund; and $500,000 from a Vanguard donor-advised fund. Dougherty said he believed that Musk was behind the $500,000 payment from the Vanguard fund. Musk dated Heard in 2016 after her divorce from Depp. They reportedly split in August 2017; Heard and Depp’s former agent Christian Carino previously testified that Heard told him she never loved Musk and was just “filling space” while she still pined for Depp. Dougherty testified in his deposition that Musk emailed the executive director of the ACLU Anthony Romero to let him know that Heard would make her donations in installments over a 10-year period. Dougherty also claimed that Heard refused to sign a pledge form from the ACLU and asked the organization not to issue a press release about her $3.5 million pledge. He also alleged that the ACLU stopped receiving payments around 2019, at which point the organization reached out to Heard to ask if she planned on fulfilling her promise. Dougherty said that the organization was informed that Heard was having “financial difficulties” that would impact her installment schedule, but noted, “I’m not aware of any indication that Ms. Heard has decided to no longer pay additional amounts.” Dougherty said that in 2018, the ACLU aided Heard in penning an op-ed for The Washington Postthat ultimately became central to the current trial: the editorial alleges that Heard was a victim of sexual violence and domestic abuse. Depp is suing Heard for $50 million for defamation stemming from the editorial, though she never once used his name in the piece. According to Dougherty, ACLU staff helped Heard write the essay and were conscious to remove any references that were too positively identifying of her marriage to Depp. He also claimed that in December 2018, Heard’s role as an ACLU ambassador was officially announced in an effort to capitalize on publicity for Aquaman. Heard tweeted at the time, “I’m honored to announce my role as an @ACLU ambassador on women’s rights. The ACLU is the organization that first inspired me to become an activist, so I couldn’t be more excited about our work to make sure women and girls can live free from violence and discrimination. Join us.” Heard is countersuing Depp for $100 million for defamation after his attorney Adam Waldman accused her of an “abuse hoax.” Next, find out what on Earth happened with Johnny Depp’s severed fingertip.
