What if Amber Heard can’t pay Johnny Depp $10.35 billion

Amber Heard has to pay $10,350 to Johnny Depp after Wednesday’s verdict, when jurors sided with the actor against his ex-wife.

Fairfaix County (Virginia, USA) Judge Penney Azcarate reduced the USD 15 million awarded to Depp to USD 10.35 million, and Heard will receive USD 2 million in damages in her defamation countersuit. your lawyer Elaine Bredehoft, said Thursday morning that Heard’s next move is appeal the verdict, and confirmed that the actress “absolutely cannot” pay the amount established by the jury.

Furthermore, Bredehoft mentioned in her closing arguments last week that Heard, 36, had so far paid more than $6 million in legal costs for the trial.

In a statement on Wednesday after the verdict was known, Depp said: “The jury gave me my life back. I am truly honored.”

Due to Heard’s accusations, Depp said he lost “nothing less than everything”.

For her part, Heard said she was disappointed “beyond words” and called the verdict a “setback” for women.

“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I am heartbroken because the mountain of evidence was not enough to confront the disproportionate power and influence of my ex-husband Heard said in a statement. “I am even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. it’s a setback… It pushes back the idea that violence against women should be taken seriously,” she said.

Legal analyst Emily D. Baker told the magazine People what could happen if Heard can’t meet those payments.

“It will depend on the parties, but once the judgment is issued on June 24, I wonder if the lawyers will start negotiating the payment of the judgment”, Baker said. “Ben Chew said in his closing statement that Johnny Depp did not seek to punish Amber Heard with money,” he added.

Before the jury, Chew stated that the case “has never been about money” or about “punishing” Heard.

“If they want to enforce the sentence,” I continue, “that starts a completely separate process in court, potentially seize a property, establish the forms in which it must be paid. I would imagine, and if I am Depp’s team, this is what I would do: They would seek an injunction to stop Amber Heard from repeating statements the jury found to be defamatory, and then stipulate that no payments be made.”

“IT ISHe’s not interested in the money, I think she’s more interested in her not repeating these accusations.” “Getting the bug is one thing. Getting the money is something completely different,” she says.

If Depp’s side goes ahead with the money, they can, according to Baker, seize the property and “try to seize any wages or any income, but that’s a separate process that starts once the judgment is made and it can be a court process.” too long to enforce a sentence.”

“From a public relations standpoint, it would not be ideal to see Johnny Depp aggressively trying to enforce this judgment,” Baker said. “We will see what they do. I don’t think we’ll see them aggressively pursuing this lawsuit right away. And I don’t think they necessarily should at this time.”

As Baker explains, filing for bankruptcy would not necessarily help Heard pay damages.

Amber Heard leaves Fairfax courthouse after jury announce verdicts

Heard’s past charity pledges are also up in the air. In 2016, the actress publicly announced that she would be donating the entire $7 million divorce settlement to charity, half of it to the American Civil Liberties Union and the other half to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. As Depp’s team demonstrated in court, the actress has yet to deliver on those promises, which were scheduled to be paid in annual increments. In her testimony, Heard said that she still intends to complete the donations from her.
“I would love for him to stop suing me so I could do it,” said Heard, who is the mother of Oonagh Paige, on the stand on enforcing promised charitable payments.

Depp’s victory in the libel trial comes 19 months after he lost his UK libel lawsuit in November 2020. She sued the British tabloid The Sun for calling him a “wife beater.” Heard testified to support the claims, and a London judge upheld the outlet’s claims as “substantially true.” In March 2021, his attempt to overturn that decision was rescinded.

Depp sued his ex-wife for $50 million following a column she wrote in 2018 for The Washington Postin which she does not name him, but describes herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard, for her part, presented a counterclaim, requesting $100 million compensation.