GoFundMe Shuts Down $1 Million Fake Fundraiser Set Up To Help Amber Heard Pay Off Johnny Depp

By Zainab Pervez in Entertainment On 5th June 2022
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GoFundMe shut down a fake fundraiser seeking to raise $1 million to help Amber Heard to pay off Johnny Depp after the ex-couple's defamation trial saw her owe him $15 million. 

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It abruptly pulled the plug on a fake $1 million campaign created by someone named Kimberly Moore allegedly to raise money for Heard to pay Depp’s damages after their sensational six-week defamation trial, TMZ reported Saturday.

The page's description read, "I believe Amber, and social media protected the abuser. The judgment exceeds her net worth. It's so sad that he was able to get away with the abuse. The judgment furthers that abuse. If you can please help her."

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However, a spokesperson for GoFundMe says they were able to flag the profile quickly -- before a substantial amount of money was raised. It was determined neither Amber nor anyone on her team had created the page ... and it was shut down.

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'Our top priority is to keep our community safe and protect the generosity of our donors,' a GoFundMe spokesperson said. 'GoFundMe will remove any fundraisers unless there's a direct connection and the fundraiser has been authorized by the recipient of the funds.'

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Of course, Heard's been ordered to pay Depp $8.35 million ... though her team had said it will appeal. Amber's lawyer has said the actress can't afford to pay the judgment, but she's surely not setting up a GoFundMe for it.

Depp sued Heard for libel in Virginia over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as 'a public figure representing domestic abuse.' His lawyers said he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.

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In a blockbuster verdict, a jury in Fairfax County Circuit Court on Wednesday awarded Depp $15 million in total - $10 million in compensation and $5 million in punitive damages. 

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In a split decision, Heard also won a $2 million verdict against Depp, leaving her owing him $8.35 million. 

Lawyer Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, who represented Heard at trial, appeared on the Today Show on Thursday and said that Heard has 'excellent grounds' to appeal the verdict and plans to do so. 

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The attorney insisted the jury in the case had been influenced by public opinion including on social media, despite strict orders from the judge not to read anything about the case outside of court. 

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'There's no way they couldn't have been influenced. It was horrible. It was really, really lop sided,' Bredehoft said of public sentiment against Heard in the case. 'It's like the Roman coliseum, how they viewed this whole case.'

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Bredehoft argued that Depp's legal team had tried to 'demonize Amber and suppress the evidence.'

'We had an enormous amount of evidence suppressed in this case that was in the UK case,' she said, referring to Depp's defamation suit against The Sun newspaper, which he lost. 'In the UK case when it came in, Amber won, Mr. Depp lost.' 

'A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed and it caused the jury to be confused,' she added.

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The attorney also said Heard is 'absolutely not' able to pay Depp $10.35 million in damages. Financial analysts, noting Heard's monetary struggles which she herself cited during the trial, argue if Depp does force her to pay the full bill, it could force her to file for bankruptcy.

The damages bill may also force her to sell off assets, including a $570,000 rural hideaway in Yucca Valley and a Range Rover she kept in the divorce from Depp.

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Her net worth is also unclear, with Fox Business reporting it as $8 million, while others have reported it closer to $3 million.

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Experts have also suggested that there is 'no way back for Heard in Hollywood' adding that the dramatic six-week court battle has left the actress 'too icky for a studio.'

Heard is also facing a petition to remove her from Aquaman 2 in light of her battle with Depp. 

The actress has previously said she had to 'fight' to retain her role as Mera in the sequel to the 2018 superhero film Aquaman, and that she has been cast in only one other film in the last two years. The role of Mera has netted her around $3 million.

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Meanwhile, Depp seems to be back in the spotlight and having the time of his life after having won his case against Heard.

He took the the stage with guitar legend Jeff Beck in Glasgow, Scotland on Friday night to hoards of female fans chanting: 'Innocent, innocent.'

Depp has been in the UK to join Beck, 77, on his tour and previously made an appearance during his friend's gig at the Sage Gateshead in the north of England on Thursday. 

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Depp joined Beck's tour in west London last Monday and Tuesday night after surprising fans with an appearance on Sunday. 

He will continue on Beck's UK tour, playing in Manchester on Saturday, Birmingham on Monday and York on Tuesday. It is thought the tour was planned before Depp's trial date in the U.S. was set. 

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The actor was seen at a pub in Newcastle, located in northern England, on Wednesday evening, just hours before the verdict in his high profile defamation case was due to be delivered. 

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Depp was seen drinking with Beck and musician Sam Fender, as well as posing for photos with a group of women. 

Later that day, sporting the same outfit he wore to the pub, Depp was seen in a video posted to Instagram signing a statement.  

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Unlike his ex-wife, Depp was not in court when the jury announced its verdict and awarded the actor $15 million.

The judge reduced the $5 million punitive damages award to the Virginia maximum of $350,000, reducing Depp's total to $10,350,000 – minus the $2 million he was ordered to pay Heard. 

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Depp's legal team were all smiles and joined each other in a group hug of 10 people.

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Depp, also issuing a statement Wednesday, said: 'Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed.

'And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.'