In 2016 when Johnny Depp and Amber Heard settled for a divorce, Heard had demanded an alimony of $7 million which was initially denied by Depp. The actress, however, received the amount regardless. She pledged to donate half the amount to the ACLU and the other half to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles back then. In 2022, she has admitted that she is yet to pay her previously pledged $3.5 million donations from her divorce settlement. 

After her testimony, the actress was cross-questioned by Depp’s lawyers. Terence Dougherty, chief operating officer of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) revealed in a pre-recorded that ACLU had only received $1.3 million in her name until December 2021. The payments stopped coming in by 2018 and Dougherty added, “We learned she was having financial difficulties.”

Now, what actions can be taken against Ms Heard after this testimony? Well, she could possibly face a police investigation over perjury allegations. Despite being under oath, Heard has lied in court and even deceived the public when talking about the donations on different talk shows. Legal experts say that the police may decide to investigate the claims made by Depp’s lawyers.

However, an investigation doesn’t mean that they can persecute Heard. The opponent must be able to verify that she knowingly told a lie rather than being confused or forgetting. So it would be extremely difficult as the case is about their abusive relationship, and not what she spent her money on. 

To jog your memory, Depp and Heard had issued a joint statement after their divorce where they said, “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.”

Last year, a judge permitted Johnny Depp to demand the ACLU to reveal whether Amber Heard has donated the full amount she pledged. The organization was then asked to release documents to verify the claims. In her defence, Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, had said the actress still intends to make the donations, though the timeline for doing so was yet “undetermined.”

(Featured Image Credits: Twitter)