Heard faces career ruin AND bankruptcy after Johnny Depp battle

Amber Heard is facing career and financial ruin after losing a blockbuster defamation case to ex-husband Johnny Depp – which left her with an $8.35 million damages bill. 

Experts have suggested that there is ‘no way back for Heard in Hollywood’ adding that the dramatic six-week court battle has left the actress, 36, ‘too icky for a studio’, raising questions about her career and future earnings. 

The actress said throughout the trial that her career has been badly damaged by the case, revealing how Depp suing her kept her from fulfilling a pledge to donate $7million to the American Civil Liberties Union. Entertainment industry expert Kathryn Arnold also testified that Heard lost out on possible earnings of up to $50 million.

Heard faces a slew of problems in light of her trial defeat. In terms of her career, Hollywood bosses are unlikely to consider her for roles going forward. Financially, the actress and witnesses alluded to her money troubles, while the huge outpouring of support for Depp may lead to brands and companies avoiding her.

Heard may also now struggle to honour various financial commitments, including to groups like the ACLU and the financial burden may curtail an activism career that has seen her support women’s rights organisation. 

The damages bill may also force her to sell off assets, including a $570,000 rural hideaway in Yucca Valley and a Range Rover she kept in the divorce from Depp. 

The main question, however, will be how Heard will cover the huge damages bill, which she has 30 years to pay. Attorney Sandra Spurgeon of Spurgeon Law Group in Lexington, Kentucky, suggested one possibility could be Depp waiving the bill or negotiating a lower amount. 

She told CBS MoneyWatch: ‘He’s [Depp] in the driver’s seat right now. For an individual who doesn’t have the ability to pay the judgment and no ability to post the bond, then there is a real issue if the winning party intends to execute the judgment.’

However, if he does force her to pay the full bill, another scenario could see Heard appeal the damages. Though an appeal with a new judge might work in her favour, she will still have to present the full amount while the appeal is considered – something that could force her to file for bankruptcy. 

A third option, according to CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson, is that her future earnings could be garnished – meaning a portion of her salary from future films or TV shows could go to Depp until the debt is covered. 

Ms Levinson said: ‘That’s not an unusual situation where somebody says, ‘I don’t have – I can’t fulfill this,’ and so I certainly think because she has earning potential part of her wages could be garnished as a result.’ 

However, the court could decided that the prospect of future work is bleak for Heard, after Hollywood experts said that the actress is unlikely to be considered by studio bosses in light of the defamation fight. 

Some have suggested that she may even pivot to a career in advocacy for victims of domestic abuse – though it is difficult to see how this could help fund her legal issues. 

Heard previously said she had to ‘fight’ to retain her role as Mera in the sequel to the 2018 superhero film Aquaman, and that she has been cast in only one other film in the last two years. The role of Mera has netted her around $3 million.

British PR expert Mark Borkowski said: ‘There is no way back for Heard in Hollywood. If you’re sitting there making a movie or thinking about casting it, are you going to hire her?

‘Look at the huge outcry about Aquaman 2 [where a petition to have her kicked off the film hit four million signatures last night]. The trial pollutes any marketing or PR to launch a film.’

Former entertainment lawyer Matthew Belloni, who writes about the business of Hollywood for the newsletter Puck, said: ‘Both of them will work again, but I think it will be a while before a major studio will consider them `safe´ enough to bet on.

‘The personal baggage that was revealed in this trial was just too icky for a studio to want to deal with.’ 

Reputation management consultant Alexandra Villa of In House PR told the Mirror: ‘Amber’s career appears to be in crisis right now. What has happened will frighten the big Hollywood studios. Smaller productions too will be wary about investing money into Amber for any project.

‘In my opinion, at this moment, producers will have to consider carefully whether they will hire her as the momentum of public opinion has shifted against her.

‘People forget Hollywood studios are businesses. They hire stars on whether they will bring in profits or not. She has a mountain to climb. Much of her testimony has holes in it and she may need to address those issues.’

Heard is also facing a petition to remove her from Aquaman in light of her battle with Depp. 

The petition is closing in on its 4.5 million signature target, currently standing on 4.48 million.  

Meanwhile, Spotted Media chief executive Janet Comenos said film producers are keenly monitoring data to see what the public think about Depp and Heard. 

Comenos said: ‘It has come up in several conversations of ours with producers; they are curious to understand if there’s a discrepancy between the actions taken by the studios and the public’s opinion. 

‘I think the results show pretty clearly that Johnny Depp is extremely hireable and that it would be a risk to a production company to hire Amber Heard because of the precipitous drop in appeal that she has had since the beginning of the trial.’

Eric Rose, a crisis management and communications expert in Los Angeles, called the trial, which lasted six weeks with a one week break, a ‘classic murder-suicide,’ in terms of damage to both careers.

‘From a reputation-management perspective, there can be no winners,’ he said. ‘They´ve bloodied each other up. It becomes more difficult now for studios to hire either actor because you´re potentially alienating a large segment of your audience who may not like the fact that you have retained either Johnny or Amber for a specific project because feelings are so strong now.’

Heard comes from a conservative Christian family from Texas of modest wealth and dropped out of school to pursue her acting career. 

Her net worth is also unclear, with Fox Business reporting it as $8 million, while others have reported it closer to $3 million.

Heard’s finances were called into question following her divorce from Depp after it was revealed that she made several demands to support her lifestyle.

Among them, she asked for the ‘exclusive use and possession’ of the black Range Rover she drove, with Depp continuing to make payments towards the vehicle.

She also wanted to carry on living rent free in three Los Angeles penthouses she and her friends were staying in, all owned by Depp, and asked for her estranged husband to cover $125,000 of her legal and accounting fees.

Eyebrows were also raised during the trial when it was revealed she had moved into a $570,000 rural hideaway in Yucca Valley – far away from the glitz and glam of Los Angeles. 

Heard grew up in Austin, Texas with modest finances, together with sister Whitney. 

Her parents David Heard and Paige Parsons were conservative Catholics – though Heard became an atheist after her best friend died in a car accident when she was 16. 

At 17, she dropped out of school to pursue a modelling career in New York, before switching to acting in Los Angeles. 

It’s unclear if the actress is single or in a relationship, though she has been supported throughout the trial by ‘special friend’ Eve Barlow, the daughter of a Scottish GP. 

Ms Barlow has tweeted support for Heard during the trial, tweeting ‘leave Amber Heard alone’ day before the judgment was delivered. 

In April 2021, Heard also surprisingly announced the birth of her daughter Oonagh Paige Heard via surrogate. 

Q&A: Everything you need to know about the verdict and what it means after Johnny Depp won defamation trial against Amber Heard

By David Averre For Dailymail.com

Johnny Depp yesterday won his libel case against former spouse and fellow actor Amber Heard, marking the culmination of a blockbuster trial which has captured attention around the globe.

But many questions remain following the delivery of the verdict which saw the jury in Virginia award Depp $15million in damages.

Can Heard appeal the decision? How will she pay? Why did Depp himself lose his defamation case against British newspaper in 2020? And will either of their careers ever be the same again? 

Here’s a round-up of everything you need to know about the trial and an explanation of what happens next. 

What is the case about? 

The dramatic saga began when Depp, 58, filed a $50million defamation claim over a 2018 op-ed Heard wrote for The Washington Post, in which she appeared to allude to him when she described overcoming domestic abuse and violence. 

The Pirates of the Caribbean star claimed his ex-wife defamed him in the op-ed  which caused him to lose movie roles and other Hollywood jobs. 

Heard in turn countersued for $100million, claiming she had been falsely painted as a liar by Depp’s camp. 

What did the jury find for Depp?

After less than three days of deliberation, the jury in Fairfax County, Virginia ruled in favor of Depp’s defamation claims against Heard, finding that she had falsely and knowingly accused him of domestic abuse in her 2018 op-ed published in the Washington Post.

All three of the following statements made by Heard in reference to Depp were deemed to be defamatory: 

• ‘I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change’
• ‘I became public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out’
• ‘I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse’

The actor was awarded $15million – $10million in compensatory damages and $5million in punitive damages. 

The judge later capped the punitive damages at the Virginia maximum of $350,000, knocking down the total to $10.35million.

Depp will ultimately walk away with $8.35million from the trial after the jury awarded Heard $2million in compensation. 

What did the jury find for Heard?

Heard won just one of her three countersuit claims, which were related to statements made by Depp’s former attorney Adam Waldman in 2020 which he described her abuse allegations as a ‘hoax’.

The jury dismissed two of the three claims, but found that Depp, through Waldman, had defamed Heard on one count when he suggested she and her friends had trashed the apartment they shared before calling the police. 

This statement made by Waldman was deemed to be defamatory:  

‘They set Mr. Depp up by calling the cops but the first attempt didn’t do the trick. The officers came to the penthouses, thoroughly searched and interviewed, and left after seeing no damage to face or property. So Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911.’

She was awarded just $2million in compensatory damages out of the $100million she was seeking.

But she was awarded zero dollars in punitive damages.

Heard will now be required to pay Depp a total of $8.35million – the $10.35million awarded to Depp minus the $2million she was given in compensation – should he decide to execute the judgment.

Can Heard appeal the verdict?

Heard’s spokesperson Alafair Hall confirmed late last night that the Aquaman star does intend to appeal the verdict handed down by the jury yesterday, but is not clear on what grounds she plans to appeal. 

To be granted an appeal, Heard would likely need to demonstrate that there were errors in the trial, or in the presiding judge’s reading of the law.

She would also need to post bond of the full $10,350,000, plus interest charges over the course of an appeal trial.

This means it is highly unlikely Heard will be able to deliver on her promise to fight the verdict without considerable financial backing.

How will Heard pay?

Heard’s financial situation is not known, although she confirmed during the trial she was paid $1million for Aquaman and $2million for her involvement in the sequel, with bonuses based on the movies’ performances at the box office.

But testimony at the trial has raised questions about whether her pockets are deep enough to fork out the $8.35million she is now required to pay her former husband. 

Heard admitted during the trial she was unable to donate $7million to charity after her divorce from Depp in 2017, because her ex-husband had filed a $50million lawsuit against her.

‘I still fully intend on honoring all of my pledges,’ Heard said regarding the money she had pledged to donate to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 

However, Depp’s lawyers pointed out she had received her divorce settlement months before he announced he was suing her and questioned whether she ever planned to donate the money in the first place. 

If Heard can’t fulfill her obligation to pay, the court may choose to garnish her future wages, but the outcome of the trial means she is unlikely to be cast in any starring roles in the near future.

Heard could also file for bankruptcy with would likely wipe away the $8million in compensatory damages but she could still be forced to pay $350,000 in punitive damages.

Why did Depp win his defamation case in the US but lose in the UK?

Depp lost a libel case against a British newspaper in 2020 after the publication labeled him a ‘wife beater’, leading many to question how he managed to win a libel case against Heard over claims of domestic abuse just two years later. 

Plaintiffs suing for defamation in the US also have a greater burden of proof and must show that they were harmed by a party acting ‘with actual malice’ – i.e. the plaintiff must prove the respondent knew their defamatory statement was untrue when they made it. 

One explanation offered by legal experts is that the British case was decided by a judge as is customary for most civil defamation cases in the UK, while the verdict in the US was delivered by a jury.

Media lawyer Mark Stephens told the Washington Post that Depp’s legal team deployed a strategy designed to sway juries that are not legally trained, arguing the approach would likely not have worked had the US case been tried by a judge.

He said the strategy known as DARVO — an acronym for deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender — managed to convincingly paint Depp as the victim in the eyes of the jury.

Furthermore, although members of the jury were ordered not to read about the case in the news or social media, they were not sequestered and were free to come and go as they pleased when the court was not in session, meaning they were almost certainly exposed to content concerning the case – much of which on social media was pro-Depp.

What are the pair’s career prospects going forward?

The impact of the trial on Depp and Heard’s respective careers in the entertainment industry remains to be seen, but legal and entertainment experts said both actors’ reputations have been damaged by the highly-publicized trial.

‘Both of them will work again, but I think it will be a while before a major studio will consider them safe’ enough to bet on,’ said former entertainment lawyer Matthew Belloni, who writes about the business of Hollywood for the newsletter Puck. 

Depp, a three-time best actor Oscar nominee, was a bankable star leading up to the release of Heard’s defamatory op-ed in 2018 and is best known for his portrayal of the beloved Capt. Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. 

But in recent years he has only appeared in a series of smaller films, few of which were considered a commercial success.

Heard’s acting career has been more modest, and she is set to appear in only one upcoming high-profile role – the sequel to superhero flick Aquaman – though petitions to have her removed from the movie have received millions of signatures.

British PR expert Mark Borkowski said: ‘There is no way back for Heard in Hollywood. If you’re sitting there making a movie or thinking about casting it, are you going to hire her?

‘Look at the huge outcry about Aquaman 2 [where a petition to have her kicked off the film hit four million signatures last night]. The trial pollutes any marketing or PR to launch a film.’

Eric Rose, a crisis management and communications expert in Los Angeles, called the trial a ‘classic murder-suicide,’ in terms of damage to both careers.

‘From a reputation-management perspective, there can be no winners… It becomes more difficult now for studios to hire either actor because you’re potentially alienating a large segment of your audience.’

What did Depp say in his post-verdict statement?

Depp was not present in court to hear the verdict as he was in the UK on tour with musician Jeff Beck, but delivered a statement shortly after the trial was concluded.  

‘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.’ he said. 

‘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.’

He concluded by thanking his fans and legal team for the help and support shown throughout the trial and said: ‘The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun. Truth never perishes.’

What did Heard say in her post-verdict statement? 

Heard sat silently in the courtroom with a solemn expression as the verdict was read out. She briefly embraced her lawyers and swiftly exited the courtroom, but later released a short 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,’ she said.

‘I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women… It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously. 

She concluded: ‘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.’