Is Amber Heard’s fortune enough to cover the $15 million judgment of Johnny Depp’s lawsuit?

The jury found Amber Heard guilty of a crime Defame ex-husband Johnny Depp He ordered her to pay $15 million in damages, posing a financial risk to the 36-year-old actress, according to experts.

Although Heard’s fortune is unclear, she has earned millions for her work in television and movies such as “Aquaman” and “Aquaman 2”. She previously received a $7 million settlement from Depp after their 2016 divorce, which she pledged to donate to charities including the ACLU. She said during the trial that she hasn’t done that yet meet Promise due to Deb’s suit.

But testimony during the trial indicated that Heard’s career had been halted due to the legal battle with Depp, according to for Newsweek. That may raise questions about whether Heard’s pockets are deep enough to cover the damages, which included $10 million in damages and $5 million in punitive damages, although the latter was lowered to Virginia’s $350,000 cap for such damages.

While Heard can appeal the ruling, she will have to pay a full judgment bond of $10.35 million, plus interest, as the appeal continues, according to attorney Sandra Spurgeon of Spurgeon Law Group in Lexington, Kentucky.

“For an individual who does not have the ability to pay the judgment and does not have the ability to send the bond, there is a real problem if the winning party intends to enforce the judgment,” Spurgeon told CBS MoneyWatch.

By comparison, the jury awarded Heard $2 million in the lawsuit. Depp, 58, has earned up to $650 million over 13 years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. However, a former manager and agent Witnessed During the trial that his spending — like $300,000 a month on full-time employees — had eroded his fortune over time.

See also  Twitter is swooning over this video of Anne Hathaway dancing like no one is watching

Heard did not address the financial terms of the ruling in a statement she posted on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, expressing her “disappointment” with the jury’s decision. Here are Heard’s options after the widely publicized ruling:

Appeal

As noted above, Heard can appeal the judgment in hopes of obtaining a more favorable judgment and reduced payment. In the meantime, Spurgeon said, it will have to pay a bond the full $10.35 million in compensation, which may or may not be possible.

Money is not enough? Wages can be imitated

If Heard decides to appeal but doesn’t have enough money to pay the ruling, she could end up with her present and future garnished wages, according to legal experts.

“The question is whether she’s saying, ‘Look, I don’t have that,'” said Jessica Levinson, a legal contributor to CBS News. It’s not there – you can look in my bank accounts,” he said.

She added, “It’s not an unusual situation where someone says, ‘I don’t have – I can’t fulfill this,’ and so I definitely think because she has a potential gain ‘part of her wages could be garnished as a result.

file for bankruptcy

Spurgeon said Heard also has the option to file for bankruptcy, which would forego $10 million in damages. But it is still in a bind to obtain $350,000 in punitive damages, which generally cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.

Depp may decide to waive the sentence

Spurgeon said Depp may also decide not to carry out the ruling, in effect resulting in a waiver of monetary damages.

“He’s in the driver’s seat now,” she said, noting that Depp could also negotiate with Heard for a lower dollar figure.

See also  Why there will be no British sympathy strikes - The Hollywood Reporter

In his Instagram comment after the ruling, Depp did not indicate whether he intended to pursue the critical ruling against Heard. “The aim of bringing this case is to reveal the truth regardless of the outcome,” he wrote.

“I feel relieved that I finally got it done,” he added.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *