Amber Heard settles with Johnny Depp, withdraws abuse claim

LOS ANGELES — Johnny Depp and Amber Heard settled their contentious divorce on Tuesday and the actress withdrew her allegations that the actor had been physically abusive toward her one day before a restraining order hearing was scheduled to begin.

“Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love,” a joint statement released by Heard and Depp said. “Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.”

Heard filed for divorce in May and days later obtained a temporary restraining order accusing the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star of hitting her during a fight in their Los Angeles apartment in May. Depp, 53, denied he abused her, and police said they found no evidence of a crime.

The 30-year-old Heard, who came to court with a bruise on her right cheek below the eye, accused Depp of repeatedly hitting her and throwing a cellphone during the fight, and a judge ordered Depp to have no contact with Heard and stay 100 yards away from her.

The restraining order was issued on the day that Depp’s latest film, “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” opened in theaters. It was a commercial failure, earning less than $76 million in its first six weeks in theaters.

A multiday hearing on the case had been scheduled to begin Wednesday. Details about the settlement were not immediately available. Heard’s attorney, Pierce O’Donnell, and Depp’s lawyers Laura Wasser and Blair Berk, were also not immediately available to comment on the case.

Heard said she would donate proceeds from the divorce to an undisclosed charity.

“Amber wishes the best for Johnny in the future,” the statement said, without a corresponding message of support from Depp for the actress.

Heard had accused Depp of being physically and emotionally abusive throughout their relationship, which began after they met on the set of the 2011 film “The Rum Diary.”

“During the entirety of our relationship, Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me,” Heard wrote in May. “I endured excessive emotional, verbal and physical abuse from Johnny, which has included angry, hostile, humiliating and threatening assaults to me whenever I questioned his authority or disagreed with him.”

Heard filed to divorce Depp on May 23, citing irreconcilable differences. They have no children together. It was his second marriage and her first.

Anthony McCartney, Associated Press