Amber Heard’s lawyer accuses Johnny Depp of ‘planting’ story in ‘desperate attempt’ to smear name

Depp’s lawyers have accused Heard of failing to make promised $7m charity donation

Amber Heard’s lawyer has responded to what she says is Johnny Depp’s “desperate attempt” to drag his ex-wife’s name.

A report that surfaced on Thursday (7 January) claimed the Pirates of the Caribbean star, 57, was accusing Heard, 34, of keeping her $7m (£5.1m) divorce settlement.

However, Heard’s US lawyer Elaine Bredehoft accused Depp of “planting” the Daily Mail  story while also acknowledging the Aquaman star has been “delayed” in her “goal” to fulfil her original pledge.

Heard received the settlement in 2016 and vowed to share the full amount with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

However, the report claims that Depp’s lawyers have been following up with each charity to see whether they received the donation.

According to findings, the CHLA has been given just $100,000 (£74,000) so far, and wrote to Heard in June 2019 to see whether she was planning on donating the remaining $3.4m (£2.5m)

“Mr Depp’s effort to plant stories in the media criticising Amber for not yet fulfilling all the donations she pledged to charity is yet another desperate attempt to divert attention from the UK Court’s findings relating to allegations of M  Depp committing domestic abuse and violence,” Bredehoft told Deadline in a statement.

She continued: “Amber has already been responsible for seven figures in donations to charitable causes and intends to continue to contribute and eventually fulfil her pledge.

A new report claims Johnny Depp’s lawyers have been chasing up on Amber heard’s proposed $7m charity donation (Getty Images)

“However, Amber has been delayed in that goal because Mr Depp filed a lawsuit against her, and consequently, she has been forced to spend millions of dollars defending Mr Depp’s false accusations against her.”

Last year, Depp was denied permission to appeal the decision in a libel case with The Sun over a 2018 article that called him a “wife beater”. However, he was granted leave to apply directly to the Court of Appeal, which he has done.

He was ordered to make a payment of around £630,000 in legal fees to publishers, and resigned from the Fantastic Beasts franchise at Warner Bros’ request.

This article was amended on February 22, 2021, to add the fact that Mr Depp was granted leave to, and has, applied to the Court of Appeal over the 2020 judgement.