A Manhattan judge ruled Friday that Johnny Depp must pay the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) $38,000 over evidence used in his defamation case victory against ex-wife Amber Heard.
The ACLU, a non-profit organization, originally asked for $86,000 in attorneys’ fees for complying with a subpoena, but Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ruled they get less than half after Depp’s lawyers filed a motion.
Stephanie Teplin, the ACLU’s lawyer, had argued that the $86,000 was for “considerable expense spent responding to onerous subpoenas served by Mr. Depp from an underlying action in which neither the ACLU nor any of its employees are parties,” according to Law & Crime.
Depp asked for thousands of documents over a six-year period as he preared for the defamation trial, according to Teplin.
Jessica Meyers, Depp’s lawyer, called the ACLU’s original demand “exorbitant and unreasonable.”
ACLU stands with Amber Heard
“They [ACLU] were responsible for drafting and placing the op-ed that the Virginia jury just found to be defamatory to Mr. Depp,” Meyers said.
According to Newsweek, an ACLU spokesperson said the organization is “pleased that the Court recognized that the ACLU complied with Mr. Depp’s requests and did so at great expense.”
During the trial, evidence showed that the ACLU helped Heard draft and publish the op-ed in The Washington Post.
The non-profit organization stood by Heard’s side throughout the entire case despite not getting the donations she had promised.
Heard was ordered to pay Depp $8.35 million in damages, though she reportedly does not have the money and plans to appeal.