Johnny Depp Wins Lawsuit Against Amber Heard In ACLU Donation Investigation

Johnny Depp and Aquaman star, Amber Heard, married in 2015 after meeting on the set of The Rum Diary in 2009. A year later, in 2016, Heard filed for divorce and accused Depp of domestic violence. Depp and his lawyers denied the physical abuse claims and accused Heard of attempting to earn financial compensation.

On August 16, 2016, a $7 million settlement was reached, which Amber Heard claimed she would donate to the American Civil Liberties Union and Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. Johnny Depp then sued Heard in 2019 for a $50 million defamation lawsuit after her publication in The Washington Post, which led to a trial in 2020 that Depp lost. Just four days later, he revealed he had been asked to resign from his role as Grindelwald in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts film. After multiple rejections from the court to appeal, Depp has now won a lawsuit to unveil whether Heard did donate her money as alleged.

In Fairfax County, Virginia, court on Friday, Chief Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate held a hearing with legal teams for both actors to determine which documents are needed regarding Depp’s finances, past drug and alcohol abuse and the value of any gifts or payments he may have made to people on his witness list.

Depp’s attorneys, for their part, contend Heard is lying about their client’s behavior. Other than the 35-year-old “Aquaman” actress, there is “no woman on the planet” who has accused Johnny Depp, 58, of physical violence, his attorney Benjamin Chew of Brown Rudnick told the judge. One of Heard’s lawyers, Benjamin Rottenborn of Woods Rogers, described Depp as a “serial litigator” who blames others for his problems. Depp’s lawsuit demands $50 million and “he needs to prove his damages,” the attorney said.

Upon winning the lawsuit, Depp’s attorney, Benjamin Chew, told People that, “Mr Depp is most gratified by the Court’s decision.”

According to the report, on July 22, People was provided a transcript by Amber Heard’s attorney, Elaine Bredehoft. Bredehoft at the time said that Heard would eventually donate the money to the ACLU and the CHLA however, it would take time and that they didn’t know when it would be. They also mentioned that she had made “the first payment toward the pledges,” claiming “more than a million” each to the ACLU and CHLA.

SOURCE: PEOPLE