Amber Heard Cannot Pay Depp $10.4 Million in Damages

The lawyer for Amber Heard said the Hollywood actress cannot pay Johnny Depp more than $10 million in damages after a jury sided with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star in their bitter defamation trial.

Following a lengthy, high-profile televised trial, a seven-person jury decided on Wednesday that Depp and Heard had defamed each other, but weighed in far more heavily with Depp.

The jury awarded him $10.35 million in damages, as opposed to the $2 million awarded to Heard.

Her attorney Elaine Bredehoft told NBC’s TODAY show that Heard will not be able to pay up.

Heard intends to appeal the verdict, she said.

The 58-year-old Depp, who lost a libel case in London against The Sun tabloid for calling him a “wife-beater,” celebrated the split verdict as a victory, while actress Heard said she was “heartbroken.”

Depp sued Heard in December 2018 over an op-ed Amber Heard wrote for The Washington Post in which she claimed she represented domestic abuse.

The Texas-born Heard, who starred in “Aquaman,” did not mention Depp in the article, but he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and requested $50 million in damages.

Heard countersued for $100 million saying she was defamed by Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, who told the Daily Mail that her abuse claims were a hoax.

According to Bredehoft, Depp’s legal team attempted to “demonize” Amber Heard and suppressed crucial evidence in the trial, precluding the jurors from examining evidence of Depp’s alleged abuse.

This court allowed things that shouldn’t have been allowed, and the jury became confused as a result, she said.

Amber Heard Plays #Metoo Card

Despite the ruling potentially hurting the #MeToo movement, the lawyer said it would deter women from reporting sexual harassment and abuse.

Bredehoft said, “It’s a terrible message.” She added, “It’s a setback.

“Unless you show a video of your spouse or significant another beating you, you won’t be believed.” However, most have dismissed the comments of Amber Heard saying her testimony was riddled with holes and she lied.

Meanwhile, Depp said after the verdict, “The jury gave me back my life.”

Depp said in a statement that “the most exciting is yet to come” and that a new chapter had begun.

Witnesses who appeared either in person or via video tended to support Depp’s version of events, while the majority of witnesses for Amber Heard – excluding paid experts – appeared via previously recorded videotaped depositions that did not allow for cross-examination.