Johnny Depp’s libel trial against ex-wife Amber Heard has ended in favor of the star. The actress was ordered to pay $ 10.35 million in damages (up from $ 50 that the plaintiff asked, because a Virginia state law has a limit on this type of damage) but her attorney, Elaine Bredehoft , let it be known during the show Today that Amber Heard does not have that amount available and still intends to appeal, despite having already paid more than six million in legal costs during the trial.
Here then is the magazine People he hypothesizes the scenarios that the actress could face in case of insolvency, taking advantage of the advice of the legal analyst Emily D. Baker. The specialist explains that the two parties should find an agreement, but if she is insolvent then Johnny Depp would have to go to court again to determine the terms of payment. First of all – assumes Emily D. Baker – Depp’s lawyers should file an injunction preventing Amber Heard from making defamatory statements of their client. According to previous statements by Depp himself, the actor is not interested in monetary compensation, but he would probably just want his ex-wife to stop slandering his reputation (after the allegations it was I’m fired by Warner Bros. from the set of Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secretswhile the same major continued to work with the actress for Aquaman 2).
The sentence will come into effect on June 24thdate on which the plaintiff could decide how to proceed, with the knowledge that recovering the money could be a very long and expensive process, not to mention the hypothesis that Heard declares bankruptcy (not legally admissible because the crime of defamation of which she was found guilty is incompatible with this action).
Moreover if Depp pursues his ex-wife to order her the payment, it could get the boomerang effect and then, after being harmed by what the court found to be Heard’s lies, he could again be penalized and portrayed as a villain by public opinion.
The actress had already stated in the past that she would have donated the proceeds from the divorce (7 million dollars) to charity but he has not yet kept his word. It seems that the actress intends to do it with an annual payment plan, after being publicly accused of insolvency by the charities involved. At her stand Heard said she might have done it if her ex-husband hadn’t involved her in her lawsuit.
Meanwhile, the public awaits the next move of the two.
Other stories of Vanity Fair that may interest you:
Johnny Depp in the pub after the verdict
The reactions of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard after the verdict
That’s why the star won
Source: Vanity Fair
