Elon Musk made $250K donation to artist non-profit in Amber Heard’s name, court hears

Non-profit founder Jennifer Howell testified on day 21 of the multi-million dollar defamation trial brought by Johnny Depp against Heard

Elon Musk anonymously donated $250,000 to an artist non-profit in Amber Heard’s name, a witness in the ongoing Johnny Depp trial told the court.

Appearing as a witness for Mr Depp via video deposition on Tuesday (24 May), Jennifer Howell told the jury that she received an anonymous check for $250,000 “around 2018” for her nonprofit The Art of Elysium. The check reportedly said that it was in honour of Ms Heard.

Ms Howell also told the Fairfax County courthouse, where the multi-million dollar defamation trial is underway, that she understood the anonymous donor to be Mr Musk.

The video testimony of Ms Howell, who is a former friend of Ms Heard’s sister Whitney Henriquez, was played on day 21 of the trial as it heads towards a verdict.

Mr Depp is suing Ms Heard, his ex-wife, for allegedly implying he abused her in an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor has asked for $50m in damages, claiming Ms Heard’s allegations impacted his ability to get work in Hollywood.

Ms Heard, in turn, has filed a counterclaim, accusing him of allegedly orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing his own lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment.” She has asked for $100m in damages, and immunity from Mr Depp’s claims.

During her own testimony in court last week, Ms Heard described the moment she met the the billionaire Tesla CEO at the 2016 Met Gala after her then-husband Mr Depp “stood me up” on the red carpet.

“He seemed like a real gentleman. He was really nice,” Ms Heard said about developing a friendship with Mr Musk.

The pair are rumoured to have dated on and off between 2016 and 2018 and the SpaceX boss was named on her witness list for the trial. However, he has not appeared on the stand.

Earlier in the trial, it was revealed that Mr Musk had donated at least $500,000 to the ACLU and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles on Heard’s behalf.

During opening statements, Ms Heard’s lawyers said that Mr Depp had been “obsessed” with Musk.

Jonny Depp photographed inside Virginia’s Fairfax County circuit court during the defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In court on Tuesday, Ms Howell testified that she never saw Mr Depp consuming illegal drugs or excessive amounts of alcohol. She also said Ms Heard never told her that Mr Depp was abusive or showed her photos of the aftermath of the alleged abuse.

Further, she said she believes Ms Henriquez is “doing something very wrong” by supporting her sister’s allegations of abuse against Mr Depp.

“I struggled very much with what to do in a situation that I loved someone who I know is doing something very wrong and I know that they’re doing it because they’re trying to protect their sister and I’m trying to protect her,” she told the jury, when asked about an email she sent Ms Henriquez in 2020, urging her to “tell the truth”.

“And I’m just trying to get her to wake up and do the right thing which is tell the truth. That’s the only thing that can help everyone involved in this thing,” she added.

Ms Henriquez has previously testified about a March 2015 incident or the “staircase incident” when Mr Depp allegedly struck Ms Heard in the back, grabbed her by the hair and hit her before trashing the Aquaman actor’s closet.

Follow live updates of the trial here.