Amber Heard has dropped her lawsuit against Doug Stanhope, Us Weekly can confirm. According to TMZ, the decision comes as part of Heard’s settlement with estranged husband Johnny Depp.
In June, the Danish Girl actress sued Stanhope for defamation from a column he penned for TheWrap that claimed Heard was blackmailing Depp after she accused the Pirates of the Caribbean actor of domestic abuse. In court documents obtained by Us at the time, Heard called Stanhope’s article “highly defamatory.”
“Defendants [Stanhope and several unnamed persons] orchestrated a plot to write an article, which was published at TheWrap.com, which falsely accuses plaintiff Amber Heard of ‘blackmail’ and other criminal behavior toward her husband, Johnny Depp, from whom she is seeking a divorce,” the filing read.
During an interview with Howard Stern on June 20, Stanhope explained his side of the story.
“I put it on my website. The title was ‘At a Loss for Words’ … whatever it was. TheWrap got it as an exclusive, however that worked, and said, ‘Amber Heard Is Blackmailing Johnny Depp — This Is How I Know.’ I didn’t write that f–king title. I didn’t put that stupid tabloid title in there,” he told Stern. “I’m a better writer than that, so I don’t know if it’s hinged on that, I don’t know how much of it is spite.”
Heard has since settled with Depp. On August 16, the exes released a statement confirming they’d resolved their divorce.
“Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love,” their joint statement read. “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.”
As promised, Heard’s $7 million settlement will be donated to the ACLU and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. On August 24, Depp donated his first installment to the charities. In a statement, Depp praised his ex, telling Us: “Ms. Heard’s generosity in giving to these wonderful causes is deeply respected.”
