ACLU slams 'misguided' Johnny Depp for REFUSING to pay $86K over Amber Heard subpoenas
The ACLU, aka the American Civil Liberties Union, has fired back at Johnny Depp for his refusal to pay $86,000 in connection to the subpoenas connected with the legal lawsuit against his former wife, actress Amber Heard.
In May 2021, Depp wanted to find out if Heard had donated $3.5 million to the organization. After being paid $7 million in the divorce, the actress publicly claimed that she donated half the money to the ACLU, while the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles got the rest. Depp refused to believe Heard's claim and subpoenaed the nonprofit organization.
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ACLU slammed for billing Johnny Depp $86,253.26 for 'trouble' it took to comply with SUBPOENA!
'Exorbitant and unreasonable': Johnny Depp REFUSES to pay $86K to ACLU over Amber Heard subpoenas
The #ACLU fired back at #JohnnyDepp's refusal to cough up $86k in the battle over #AmberHeard records. #RadarExclusivehttps://t.co/FcOp4CBt1w
— Radar Online (@radar_online) June 16, 2022
The ACLU claimed they spent a "significant" amount of time responding to multiple subpoenas. They allegedly went through 7,500 documents before providing $2,000 worth of documents to Depp and are thus demanding $86,000 from the 59-year-old actor to cover the subpoena costs.
"The ACLU produced three witnesses, including its Executive Director, for over sixteen hours of depositions. Along the way, Mr. Depp rejected numerous compromises to minimize the burden and expense on the ACLU and its employees," the ACLU claimed. Depp's lawyers stated, "Respondents' request for in excess of $86,000 in "expenses" associated with their court-ordered document production is not only exorbitant and unreasonable, but unsupported by New York law."
The motion added, "Mr. Depp acknowledges that New York law provides for the reimbursement of reasonable production expenses to a non-party and does not oppose reimbursing the Respondents for such reasonable expenses; but, Respondents seek reimbursement for expenses that go far beyond what was reasonably required to comply with the subpoena."
Update: Johnny Depp vs ACLU (NYC)
— TheRealLauraB🌊⚔️ (@LauraBockov) June 15, 2022
ACLU Non-Parties have filed their reposonse to Depp's opposition. They want their money. They claim they tried to meet & confer with Depp team to mininimize or narrow the scope of the documents they were requesting https://t.co/jlcasI1JSV
Obtained by Radar, the newly filed documents made by the ACLU state, "Mr. Depp mistakes New York law. Because reviewing for responsiveness was necessary to comply with the subpoenas and produce documents to Mr. Depp, it is a recoverable expense of production. Mr. Depp is equally misguided to suggest that time reviewing for privilege/work product and preparing a privilege log is not recoverable."
The non-profit is again demanding that Depp pay the $86,000 bill. The ACLU is known to have been responsible for helping Heard write the 2019 defamatory Washington Post op-ed that led to the controversial legal battle between the former couple. The weeks-long defamation trial wrapped up on June 1 with the verdict ruling in Depp's favor. The 'Pirates of Caribbean' actor was awarded $15 million by the jury in compensatory and punitive damages.
#AmberHeard just said The Washington Post op-ed was not about #JohnnyDepp. I pointed this out on Sidebar the other day: @ACLU general counsel Terrence Dougherty said it was about JD. AH said on rebuttal JD's support is why she wrote it @LawCrimeNetwork
— Angenette Levy (@Angenette5) June 18, 2022