Amber Heard can’t afford pay Johnny Depp $8,000,000 and will appeal, lawyer says-Rishma Dosani-Entertainment – Metro

Amber Heard’s lawyer has revealed that she is ‘absolutely not’ able to pay the $8million in damages to Johnny Depp after losing a defamation case against him.

The 58-year-old filed a $50m lawsuit against his ex-wife over an article she wrote in the Washington Post in 2018, discussing her experience with domestic abuse.

His team argued that it implied he was physically and sexually abusive during their relationship despite not being named in the op-ed, with Heard countersuing for $100m in return.

After a six-week trial and 13 hours of deliberation, a jury ruled in favor of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor on Wednesday, awarding him a total of $15m.

Appearing on the Today Show to discuss the verdict, Elaine Bredehoft slammed the result as a ‘setback’ for women who have spoken out against domestic abuse.

When asked if the Aquaman actress – who was awarded $2m in her countersuit – would be able to pay the damages, the attorney replied: ‘Oh no, absolutely not.’

Amber Heard kept her head down as the verdict was revealed in court (Picture: YouTube)

Bredehoft also said that the 36-year-old will ‘absolutely’ be appealing the verdict, telling the host: ‘She has excellent grounds for it.

‘We had even tried to get the UK judgement in to dismiss his case, because he already had his shot, and that’s one of the issues. But also a number of the evidentiary issues, there was so much evidence that did not come in.

‘The court found there, and we weren’t allowed to tell the jury this, but the court found that Mr Depp had committed at least 12 acts of domestic violence, including sexual violence, against Amber.

‘We had an enormous amount of evidence that was suppressed in this case, that was in the UK case.’

Bredehoft insisted that Heard was ‘demonized’ over the ‘zoo’ case on social media, describing the ‘lop-sided’ reaction as ‘horrible’.

‘One of the first things she said is, I am so sorry to all those women out there,’ she said of Heard’s reaction to the result. ‘This is a setback. For all women in and outside the courtroom. And she feels the burden of that.

Bredehoft said the result was a ‘setback’ for women (Picture: Getty)

‘It’s a horrible message. It’s a setback, a significant setback because that’s exactly what it means.

‘Unless you pull out your phone and you video your spouse or your significant other beating you, effectively, you won’t be believed.’

Following the lengthy trial, the jury awarded Depp $10m in compensatory damages and a further $5m in punitive damages, bringing a total of $15m. 

Johnny Depp walked away with just over $8million in damages (Picture: EPA)

However, Judge Penney Azcarate reduced Depp’s $5m punitive damages to instead award $350,000, the maximum in Virginia. He also has to pay Heard the $2m in compensatory damages she was awarded, so he therefore walks away with $8.35m in overall damages.

Reacting to the verdict moment after leaving court, Heard said in a statement: ‘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.

‘I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.’

She continued: ‘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.

‘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.’

Depp skipped the court appearance to party in the UK, and added in his own statement: ‘Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed.

‘All in the blink of an eye. False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.

‘And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.’

He went on: ‘My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought.

‘From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.

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‘I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world. 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.

‘I wish to acknowledge the noble work of the Judge, the jurors, the court staff and the Sheriffs who have sacrificed their own time to get to this point, and to my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping me to share the truth.

‘The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun. Veritas numquam perit. Truth never perishes.’

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