Judge confirms verdict
Now officially: Amber Heard has to pay Jonny Depp ten million dollars
Actress Amber Heard plans to appeal the verdict
© Evelyn Hockstein / AFP
Amber Heard’s attorneys are still trying to reach an agreement to reduce the amount. But they failed. Now it’s official: The actress has to pay her ex Johnny Depp $ 10.35 million.
Amber Heard has officially been ordered to pay Johnny Depp $10.35 million for damaging his reputation by describing herself as a victim of domestic violence in an article she authored. On Friday, Judge Penney Azcarate made the jury’s decision official by entering an injunction in the court record after a brief hearing in Virginia.
She also ordered Depp to pay Heard $2 million, the amount the jury awarded the actress for her counterclaim for defamation by one of her ex-husband’s attorneys, according to the Associated Press.
As the “Daily Mail” reports, the lawyers for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard did not manage to reach a last-minute agreement that could have reduced the claim for damages. This could now result in a costly and lengthy appeal process. In three weeks, the case will be sent to the Virginia Court of Appeals. During this time, both parties have 30 days to file an appeal.
Jury ruled against Amber Heard
The order was a formality after the jury returned its verdict on June 1, and Depp was largely right after a sensational trial in which the couple revealed lurid details about their brief marriage during a televised trial.
Depp had sued his ex-wife Heard over an opinion piece she wrote in the Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” The jury found Depp correct in all three cases involving specific statements in the 2018 article.
Amber Heard announced appeal
The jury ruled that Depp should be awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, but the judge reduced the punitive damages to $350,000 due to a state cap.
Heard announced that she intends to appeal the verdict. A source close to the ‘Aquaman’ star claimed the 36-year-old actress is “broke”, she “considers her career in Hollywood over” and has “nothing to lose” after a disastrous few months.
Through her attorney, Heard admitted that she cannot afford the $8.3 million in damages that Depp was awarded.
During Friday’s hearing, the judge said that if Heard appealed, she would be required to post bail in the full amount of $10.35 million pending the appeal, a standard practice.
Sources: Associated Press, “Daily Mail”