'Exorbitant and unreasonable': Johnny Depp REFUSES to pay $86K to ACLU over Amber Heard subpoenas
Johnny Depp has refused ACLU's request that he pay $86K in costs connected to the subpoenas served to the organization as part of his lawsuit against Amber Heard. ACLU’s request was submitted after Depp learned that a Virginia jury had awarded him $15 million in the defamation trial against Heard.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), they spent a "significant" amount of time responding to multiple subpoenas. The executives of the organization apparently had to go through 7,500 documents before providing $2,000 worth of documents to Depp. The organization stated, "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."
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ACLU slammed for billing Johnny Depp $86,253.26 for 'trouble' it took to comply with SUBPOENA!
Depp described the ACLU's claim for $86K as "exorbitant and unreasonable." The 'Secret Window' star remarked that he had no objection to paying a respectable amount, but the figure should be reduced. This claim is still awaiting a ruling from a judge.
Depp had filed a lawsuit against Heard for an op-ed she penned in the Washington Post in 2019. The American Civil Liberties Union aided Heard and her colleagues in writing the op-ed.
Although the actress never mentioned Depp by name, he claimed it was apparent who she was referring to. He denied ever touching Heard and sued her for $50 million, alleging that her lies caused him to be blacklisted. Depp sought data from the ACLU as part of his case to see if Heard had followed through on her commitment to donate her $7 million divorce settlement.
Heard announced publicly that she would donate $3.5 million to the ACLU and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, respectively. Depp was skeptical of Heard's claim and issued a subpoena to the ACLU. He asked that they hand over information and respond to questions concerning Heard's charitable contributions.
The actor and the organization had a falling out over records, which led to Depp filing a lawsuit against the ACLU. The data revealed that Heard did not keep her promise to the ACLU. She only paid $1.3 million out of a total of $3.5 million promised.
The organization received $350K from Heard, $100K from Depp for Heard, $500K from a donor-advised fund, and another $3350K from a donor-advised fund. An attorney for the ACLU testified in court that he believed Elon Musk was involved in the $500K payment. Heard testified that she had every intention of keeping her promise but lacked the cash due to Depp's lawsuit.