Here’s What Will Happen to Amber If She Can’t Afford to Pay Johnny’s $10 Million in Damages, and Here’s What Could Happen to Her If She Goes to Jail If She Doesn’t
Since the conclusion of the trial. Following the verdict in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation case and Depp’s subsequent victory, there have been inquiries into what the future holds for Amber Heard.
Between the years 2015 and 2016, Depp and Heard were married. After only 15 months of marriage, Heard initiated the divorce process in May of 2016. In addition to filing for divorce, she also sought a temporary restraining order against Depp, saying that he assaulted her while under the influence of narcotics and alcohol. She stated in her paperwork that she was subjected to this abuse when he was intoxicated.
The allegations were refuted by Depp, and an out-of-court settlement in the amount of $7 million was made in August of 2016. Heard has committed to giving the money to the American Civil Liberties Union as well as the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. “Our relationship was marked by strong intensity on both sides, and at times it was tumultuous; nonetheless, it was always held together by love.
Neither side has fabricated false claims in order to advance their financial interests. The two of them said in a joint statement at the time that “there was never any intention of physical or emotional harm.”
In 2018, Heard shared her story of surviving domestic violence in an opinion piece that was published in The Washington Post. Even though she didn’t specifically mention Johnny Depp in the post, many people thought it was about her former husband.
In 2019, Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against Heard for the amount of $50 million, claiming that the op-ed cost him acting gigs, including his appearances in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise produced by Walt Disney Pictures and the Fantastic Beasts series produced by Warner Bros. Pictures. Heard, on the other hand, filed a countersuit against Depp for one hundred million dollars.
The trial for the case began in April 2022 and lasted until June 2022. At the conclusion of the trial, a seven-person jury comprised of five men and two women found Heard to be culpable of all three charges of defamation in her complaint with Depp.
The jury decided that Heard was responsible for compensatory damages in the amount of $10 million and punitive damages in the amount of $5 million, for a total of $15 million. A jury found Depp guilty of one count of defamation against Heard and sentenced him to pay her $2 million in compensatory damages and zero dollars in punitive damages for a total of $2 million.
Heard had claimed that Depp had defamed her in an interview. The judge, Penney Azcarate, lowered Heard’s punitive damages from $5 million to $350,000 because the state of Virginia places a limit on the amount that can be awarded in punitive damages.
If the damages that Heard and Depp incurred are subtracted from one another, then Heard will be responsible for paying Depp a total of $8.35 million in damages.
This amount will include the $2 million in compensatory damages that Depp is obligated to pay to Heard.
In light of the fact that Heard has an estimated net worth of $8 million, as reported by Celebrity Net Worth, many people are curious about what would become of Amber Heard in the event that she is unable to pay Depp’s damages.
After Johnny Depp’s victory in their defamation case, what will happen to Amber Heard now that the verdict has been handed down?
Continue reading to find out what will happen to Amber Heard next, as well as the likelihood that she will be charged with perjury due to the statements she made during her trial against Johnny Depp.
Will the verdict about Johnny Depp result in the arrest of Amber Heard?
Will the verdict against Johnny Depp result in the arrest of Amber Heard? After being found guilty of defaming Depp, Heard will not be sentenced to any time behind bars.
Because Heard’s defamation action against Depp is a civil matter and not a criminal case, she will not be sentenced to jail time despite the fact that she was found guilty of the charge.
Fox News in May 2022 quoted attorney George Freeman of the Media Law Resource Center as saying, “You don’t go to jail as a result of a civil finding.” Freeman was speaking on behalf of the Media Law Resource Center.
Heard faces the possibility of doing time in jail if she is found guilty of perjury, which is defined as lying knowingly in a legal proceeding while under oath.
“The only way what has happened so far in Virginia could lead to jail is if she’s accused of perjury and convicted of it, which there has been no official accusation of and which seems quite remote,” he said.
“The only way what has happened so far in Virginia could lead to jail is if she’s accused of perjury.” Freeman, an attorney who specializes in matters revolving around the First Amendment, recently told Fox News that in his four decades as a practicing lawyer, he has never witnessed a person being charged with perjury in a civil case.
Tim Parlatore, who practices both civil and criminal law, told Fox News that he has serious reservations about whether or not Heard will be charged with perjury.
He told the publication that for Heard to be charged with perjury, the prosecution would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she “deliberately lied and knew it was untrue,” which is tough to achieve.
He stated this so that she may be prosecuted with perjury., the prosecution would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Heard “intentionally said something that wasn’t true and Broderick Dunn, a civil attorney who practices law in Virginia, the state in which Heard and Depp’s trial was held, discussed with Fox News the reasons why perjury charges are typically not pursued in abuse cases.
Dunn is licensed to practice law in Virginia, the state in which Heard and Depp’s trial was held.
There are several perjury cases that may be presented that are not intended to prevent a chilling effect on persons with domestic abuse claims,” he added, stressing that perjury charges could discourage victims from coming forward with their allegations for fear of receiving prison sentences.
“Many perjury cases could be brought that aren’t in order to prevent a chilling effect on domestic violence claimants,” he said.
Additionally, according to Parlatore’s statements to the publication, the fact that both Heard and Depp have worked in the entertainment industry as actors may hinder law enforcement from pursuing perjury charges against Heard.
“When you have professional actors on the stand, all of the typical abilities you would normally have to gauge a witness’ manner and veracity go out the window,” he added. “It’s impossible.”
However, according to the laws of the state of Virginia, the maximum penalty for Heard’s conviction would be ten years in jail if she was found guilty of perjury.
In May 2022, Sean Caulfield, a partner at the law firm Hodge, Jones and Allen, told The Daily Mail that Amber Heard could also be charged with perjury for her admission during the trial that she had not yet honored her pledge to donate the $7 million from the divorce settlement she reached with Johnny Depp in 2016 to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union, despite swearing under oath that she had, including in the United Kingdom High Court of Justice for D.
Caulfield was quoted as saying in The Daily Mail that charges of perjury might be brought against Heard in the United Kingdom because deceptive statements “reach to the foundation of our legal system.”
When asked if it’s possible that the police may investigate Heard for perjury, Caulfield responded, “Yes, I think so.”
Perjury is the greatest threat to our justice system, so the police may be asked to investigate to demonstrate that anyone who lies to the court is subject to prosecution for perjury. “While it may not be a central issue to the case [the donations], perjury is the single biggest threat and cuts to the core of our justice system,”
He continued, It is not a major issue before the court, but if Depp’s legal team are trying to build an image [that she is trying to keep the money], then it is. [That] she is trying to keep the money in her possession. And it is always of the utmost importance that individuals do not lie to themselves.
The guidance provided by CPS states that you will need to know that what you claimed was false, which can be challenging; nonetheless, it should not be that difficult to know whether or not she had made the donations. There doesn’t seem to be a problem there to me. The fact that she would have to be extradited is another source of confusion.
If the CPS decides to authorize charges, you will need to extradite her, which is highly improbable given that she is a resident of the United States.
However, legal expert Mark Stephens spoke to The Daily Mail on how challenging it is to bring charges of perjury against a defendant. “It is well-known for how challenging it may be to bring and prosecute a case of perjury.
“You need to establish that someone intentionally told a lie as opposed to them being confused or misremembering,” he added. “You can’t just assume that someone is lying.” “In my opinion, carrying it out would be an extremely challenging endeavor.
The police are able to investigate it, but it is quite unlikely that they will prosecute it. The events that took place during their time together are more relevant to the case than what she bought with her own money.
I acknowledge that giving false information to a court is a serious offense, but this is the strategy that Depp’s legal team employed in London. How are you going to demonstrate that she was aware? It’s possible that someone told her that the donations had already been made.
He went on to say that if you are a celebrity, your access to your bank accounts might be managed. You have a good chance of thinking that you have already donated money or have made a commitment to do so. Nobody comes out of this situation in a good position. The legal team representing Depp simply belongs to a separate category.
They are aware that the evidence is present, they do not make spelling errors or misplace items, and the process is carried out in a timely and efficient manner. It appears that Heard’s legal team is outmatched by their opponents.
A conviction for perjury in the United Kingdom can result in a sentence of up to seven years in prison, as outlined by Steven Heffer, Head of Privacy at the law firm Collyer Bristow.
“As per English law, perjury is a particularly serious criminal since it strikes at the very heart of the system through which justice is administered.
According to him, well-known people, including important politicians, have learned this the hard way and ended up doing prison time as a result of their actions.
“According to English law, the crime of perjury is committed in a legal procedure when a witness makes a statement that is significant to that proceeding that he knows to be false or that he does not believe to be truthful, and it carries a jail penalty of up to seven years for the offender.
If it was discovered that one of the witnesses in the English libel case had lied during the proceedings, that witness could have anticipated facing charges of perjury and attempting to obstruct the administration of justice, as well as a possible prison sentence.
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