Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have settled their highly publicised defamation case as the 'Aquaman' actor has now paid her ex-husband $1 million, as ordered by the Virginia court. In June last year, a Virginia jury had awarded Mr Depp $10 million in compensatory and $5 million in punitive damages and Ms Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages. The former couple later came to a settlement in December with Ms Heard agreeing to pay the 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' star $1 million in damages. Mr Depp has decided to donate all the settlement money to five charities, as per a report in People Magazine.
The 60-year-old actor will donate $200,000 each to five charities which include Make-A-Film Foundation, The Painted Turtle, Red Feather, Tetiaroa Society and Amazonia Fund Alliance.
After deciding to settle in December 2022, Ms Heard stated that it was "very difficult decision" and "not an act of concession". She took to Instagram and wrote, "It's important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth, 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 women are re-victimized 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. I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward," she continued.
Talking about the settlement amount, Ms Heard satiated that it is not uncommon to face "bankruptcy" for speaking the truth. "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," she added.
On the other hand, Ms Heard has moved to Spain following the trial and said that she loves the country and "hopes to" stay in Madrid. Mr Depp was recently seen at Cannes Film Festival for his new movie 'Jeanne Du Barry'.
