Amber Heard calls out Johnny Depp for donating her divorce settlement directly to charity - Los Angeles Times
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Amber Heard calls out Johnny Depp for donating her divorce settlement directly to charity

Actors Johnny Depp, left, and Amber Heard attend "The Rum Diary" premiere in London on Nov. 3, 2011.
(Joel Ryan / Associated Press)
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The dust still hasn’t settled between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp in the wake of the exes’ divorce agreement.

The actors are still at odds over the “Pirates of the Caribbean’s” star’s donation of Heard’s divorce settlement monies to the charities of her choosing.

The “Magic Mike XXL” actress, who revealed that she was awarded $7 million in the agreement earlier this month, announced that she would donate that money to the American Civil Liberties Union, with a focus on battling violence against women, and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, where she has volunteered for 10 years.

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However, Depp has since decided to cut out the middle man and, instead of giving his ex-wife the money directly, said Thursday that he would be donating the money to the charities himself, TMZ reported. The ACLU and CHLA have already received the first installments of Depp’s $7-million pay-out on behalf of Heard, the site said.

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But the actress promptly rejected the idea that Depp could do that. In a statement on Thursday, her team said that she “appreciates Johnny Depp’s novel interest in supporting two of her favorite charities” and the actor’s move is “great and unexpected news,” but it was not OK because it changes the terms of their agreement.

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“If Johnny wishes to change the settlement agreement, we must insist that he honor the full amount by donating $14 million to charity, which, after accounting for his tax deduction, is equal to his $7 million payment obligation to Amber,” her team said, adding that the actor should also donate the amount in its entirety immediately rather than have it be drawn out over many years.

“Anything less would be a transparent attempt by Johnny’s counsel, Laura Wasser and Patti Glaser, to reduce their client’s true payment by half under the guise of newfound concern for charities that he has never previously supported,” the statement said.

Heard filed for divorce on May 23 after a year of marriage. She was granted a temporary restraining order against Depp based on her allegations that the “Alice Through the Looking Glass” star had been physically abusive, a claim her legal team supported with photographs of Heard’s bruised face, taken in the aftermath of an alleged dispute with Depp.

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The veteran actor’s legal team denied all allegations of abuse toward Heard and in preliminary hearings suggested that his estranged wife was merely looking to financially capitalize on their divorce.

After their case was settled on Aug. 16, the “Rum Diary” costars issued a joint statement reading, “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. There will be no further public statements about this matter.’”

Clearly, there have been.

Follow me: @NardineSaad

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