Johnny Depp and his ex- wife Amber heard’s legalbattle was a highly publicized matter. That made headlines all over. But after the decision came out. Depp turned out to the winner in Johnny v/s Amber defamation case. He was awarded USD 15 million in damages
Since Amber Heard will now have to pay Johnny Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. One question that is triggering everyone’s mind is that will she able to pay such a hefty amount. Although she has earned millions from films such as “Aquaman” and “Aquaman 2 and also appeared on TV, and apart from this after this she also got $7 million settlement from Depp after their divorce in 2016. The wealth she possess is still unclear. Infact she also pledged to donate $7 million to charity but failed to do so. After the legal battle started with Johnny her career was stalled.So this raise the eye brows.
Talking to CBS a legal advisor told “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,” So in this case here are some options for Amber Heard.
Amber Heard has these options following the highly publicized verdict:
Heard could appeal the verdict
Amber can appeal the law to reduce the payment. But in meantime, she has to pay the full $10.35 million in damages, which somewhere may or may not be attainable.
Wages could be garnished
If she doesn’t have enough money. And according to legal experts, if Amber she says that I don’t have enough money to pay. Her current and future wages could be garnished.
Heard’s another option is filing for bankruptcy
If Amber files for bankruptcy it will eliminate $10 million in compensatory damages. However, she still needs to pay $350,000 in punitive damages, which can’t be applied in a bankruptcy.
Depp also could negotiate with Heard for a lower dollar figure
After the verdict, Johnny Depp took to his Instagram post and wrote “goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome.” “I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”, but he didn’t indicate anything regarding a monetary judgment against Heard. Since he is now the winner, in this case, he could also negotiate with his ex-wife Amber, for a lower dollar figure.
Also, read “Jury gave me my life back”: Johnny Depp after winning defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard