Amber Heard Filing For Bankruptcy After Johnny Depp Victory?

Amber Heard has been locked in a legal battle, which might have drained her funds. Now she might need to file bankruptcy to cover damages from the lawsuit.

By James Brizuela | Published

amber heard

Amber Heard lost yesterday in court, as the jury for the six-week defamation trial between her and Johnny Depp landed squarely on siding with Depp. The jury also awarded Depp $15 million in damages, with one countersuit claim coming back in favor of Heard in the sum of $2 million. Although $15 million seemed hefty, the actual price to be paid to Depp is $10.35 million. That is $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, though the presiding judge reduced the punitive amount to $350,000. Regardless, paying $10 million is no small feat, and it has led to speculation that it will lead to Heard filing for bankruptcy.

There has been speculation that Amber Heard doesn’t have deep enough pockets to cover the $10.35 million and she might have to file for bankruptcy to cover the amount that she must pay. She had previously received $7 million from Depp in the divorce settlement but had promised that money to two different charities, both of which she hasn’t paid that hefty amount to. The reasoning behind that is that she claims she was spending all her money on legal fees for this lawsuit. Now that she has lost the lawsuit, things could get trickier for the actress. Based on reports, the bankruptcy would wipe out the $10 million in compensatory damages, but she would not be able to pay off the additional $350,000 in punitive damages with the bankruptcy. She would have to pay that out of her own pocket.

Amber Heard has been in Aquaman and Aquaman 2 more recently, but that hasn’t netted the actress that much money, considering she has been stuck in several legal battles with Johnny Depp since the divorce took place in 2016. There is not a clear-cut answer about how much money she truly has but paying high-profile lawyer fees is no easy task. She has said that her work took a hit based on the court proceedings she has been involved with, so there might not be any additional money from acting gigs coming her way.

The world has seen fit to side with Johnny Depp, or so it seems, as the petition to have Amber Heard thrown off Aquaman 2 reached a staggering 4.5 million signatures. That is nearing the top of petitions that has ever been created on change.org. The actress has been unpopular for quite some time and that is felt through her not garnering any other roles aside from her reduced part in Aquaman 2. Heard can appeal the court’s decision, but that might not help out much. Should she not be able to pay the full $10.35 million, her wages will be garnered to cover the lawsuit damages.

Amber Heard might have a long road ahead of her, especially now that people can peg her as a “liar.” However, the hope is that she can move on in her career from this lawsuit, and studios will still consider her for parts still. She will certainly need to find some work to help pay off the damages to Johnny Depp.