Amber Heard has been ordered to pay her ex-husband Johnny Depp more than $8million after losing her defamation case against the actor on Wednesday.
But how exactly will Heard pay her damages?
The Aquaman star’s financial situation is not known, although she earned millions for her work on television and in the Aquaman films.
Testimony at the trial has raised questions about whether Heard’s pockets are deep enough to fork out such a large sum.
There is speculation about Heard’s ability to immediately cover the damages, which includes $10million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages. She will also receive $2million from Depp in a counter-lawsuit, leaving her with just over $8million to pay.
The latter amount was reduced from $5million due to Virginia’s cap on such awards.
Amber Heard has been ordered to pay her ex-husband Johnny Depp more than $8million after losing her defamation case against the actor on Wednesday
During the trial, Heard admitted she was unable to donate $7million to charity after her divorce from Depp in 2017, because her ex-husband had filed a $50million lawsuit against her.
‘I still fully intend on honoring all of my pledges,’ Heard said regarding the money she had pledged to donate to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
‘I would love him to stop suing me so I can.’
Trial testimony also suggested that her career had come to a halt because of her legal battle with Depp.
She will likely have to post bond for the full $10.35million judgment, plus interest, if she decides to appeal Wednesday’s ruling – something her spokesperson, Alafair Hall, told the New York Times she now plans to do.
If she can’t fulfill her obligation to pay, the court may choose to garnish part of her wages, if it is found Heard has the requisite earning potential.
During the trial for her defamation case with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, Heard confirmed that she was paid $1 million for Aquaman and $2 million for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with bonuses based on the movies’ performances at the box office.
‘For an individual who doesn’t have the ability to pay the judgment and no ability to post the bond, then there is a real issue if the winning party intends to execute the judgment,’ lawyer Sandra Spurgeon told CBS MoneyWatch.
There is speculation about Heard’s ability to immediately cover the damages she owes Depp which includes $10million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages
If Heard decides not to appeal, she may end up with any current and future wages being garnished anyway.
Heard could also file for bankruptcy with would likely wipe away the $8 million in compensatory damages but she might still have to pay $350,000 in punitive damages.
Depp holds the key and could decide the waive any monetary compensation, however so far he has not indicated whether he intends to pursue the monetary judgment against her.
‘The goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome.
‘I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that,’ Depp wrote in a statement posted to Instagram.
Heard will next appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the sequel to Aquaman, which is slated for release in 2023.
The Aquaman star revealed during the trial how she currently resides in Yucca Valley, California
Among her demands was the ‘exclusive use and possession’ of the black Range Rover Heard drove, with Depp continuing to make payments towards the vehicle. She is pictured driving in West Hollywood in 2015
Heard was often seen driving a black Range Rover in LA when she and Depp were still married
Heard also requested ‘exclusive use and possession’ of three downtown LA penthouses, all owned by Depp, with Depp continuing to make payment on the homes
During the trial it was revealed how Heard threatened to publicly serve Depp with a restraining order if he did not continue financially supporting her lifestyle after she filed for divorce.
Through her lawyer, Heard issued a list of financial and property demands, with the Aquaman star promising to ‘keep this matter out of the spotlight’ if her requests were granted.
Among her demands was the ‘exclusive use and possession’ of the black Range Rover she drove, with Depp continuing to make payments towards the vehicle.
She also wanted to carry on living rent free in three Los Angeles penthouses she and her friends were staying in, all owned by Depp, and asked for her estranged husband to cover $125,000 of her legal and accounting fees.
Heard mainly resides in Yucca Valley – a town in California’s Mojave Desert, 120 miles east of Los Angeles
Her three-bedroom home is set on six acres of land
Herard is thought to have quietly acquired the six-acre estate in early 2019, paying $570,000
An eat-in kitchen with granite counter tops is seen at the home Heard bought in early 2019
When family and friends come calling, Heard has plenty of space to entertain
During the trial Heard revealed how she now mainly resides in a modest home in California’s Yucca Valley, a town in the Mojave Desert, about 120 miles east of Los Angeles.
The house is currently owned by a trust with clear links to Heard. The trust quietly acquired the six-acre estate in early 2019, paying just $570,000.
Built in 2015, the custom home offers an attached three-car garage and nearly 2,500sq ft of living space.
The three bedroom property is set on six-acres of land.
In a statement following the verdict on Wednesday, she expressed disappointment at a number of consequences from the jury’s ruling.
Heard called the ruling a ‘setback for women’ and a loss for freedom of speech.
‘The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband,’ Heard said.
During the trial Heard confirmed that she was paid $1 million for Aquaman and $2 million for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
She added that the verdict was ‘a setback’ for women ‘to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated’.
Heard then blamed star attorney Camille Vasquez and Depp’s other legal experts.
‘I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK,’ she said, referencing her previous legal victory over Depp in Britain in 2020.
She ultimately considers the defeat, despite her own ruling for $2million in a countersuit, a loss for her freedom of speech.
‘I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly,’ she said.
Depp, meanwhile, thanked the ‘outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world’ in his own statement, which he said ‘overwhelmed’ him.
‘I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media,’ he added.
Source by www.dailymail.co.uk
