According to the CEO of an art charity that Amber Heard testified about donating $250,000, the money came from Elon Musk.
This is the second charity official who has stated that they believe an anonymous donation made in Heard’s name came from Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO who Heard dated shortly after her divorce from Johnny Depp in 2016.
Previously, an American Civil Liberties Union representative stated that the organization received a $350,000 donation in Heard’s name from an account linked to Musk.
Heard is currently fighting a defamation lawsuit filed by her ex-husband, Depp, who claims she ruined his reputation and career with false domestic-violence claims. Heard claims she was a victim of domestic violence and testified for several days about multiple incidents in which she claims Depp physically and sexually assaulted her.
On Tuesday, Depp’s legal team attempted to undermine Heard’s credibility by claiming that Musk actually paid for a donation she claimed she made on the stand.
On the stand, Heard announced a $250,000 donation to the Art of Elysium, a children’s arts charity.
On Tuesday, however, a rebuttal witness for Depp’s legal team called that statement into a question. Jennifer Howell, the CEO of the Art of Elysium, stated in a prerecorded deposition on March 3, 2022, that the organization only received one donation in Heard’s name — a payment of $250,000 from an anonymous donor whom they assumed to be Musk.
Earlier in the trial, Heard’s credibility regarding her charitable donations was questioned. Depp’s legal team presented evidence that Heard failed to follow through on a public promise to donate her entire $7 million divorce settlement to two charities, the ACLU and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Candie Davidson-Goldbronn, a representative of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, testified on Tuesday that the organization only ever received $250,000 directly from Heard and a $100,000 payment made by Depp’s money manager as part of her divorce settlement.
That is significantly less than the $3.5 million she had promised the organization. The representative stated that they inquired with Heard’s contact about future payments on the pledge but received no response.
Earlier in the trial, an ACLU representative stated that the organization only received three payments totaling $950,000 in Heard’s name. They claimed that only one came directly from Heard, another from Depp’s money manager, and the third from Musk.
Heard stated that she planned to pay the two charities in installment payments over time, but she was forced to halt payments when Depp sued her in 2019.
Musk did not respond to Insider’s request for comment on Tuesday. Heard’s representatives declined to comment.
