A jury which oversaw the six-week trial of Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard in Virginia’s Fairfax County Courthouse effectively sided with the 58 year-old actor in their verdict, which was handed down on Wednesday. The jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages on all three counts. That amount was later reduced to $10.35 million in order to satisfy Virginia state law ($350,000 is the maximum amount allowed for punitive damages in Virginia).
Heard also won a sum of $2 million in damages for one of her three counterclaims in the trial. She now owes Depp $8.35 million, but according to her attorney Elaine Bredehoft, she can’t pay. Though Heard’s finances are unclear, Bredehoft did reveal in the courtroom that the 36 year-old actress has racked up at least $6 million in legal fees.
Heard reportedly lives in California’s San Bernardino County in Yucca Valley, a small town near Joshua Tree National Park which features a hippie, artistic community that differs widely from her jet-setting Hollywood lifestyle she had when she was married to Depp. Heard’s home was apparently purchased by a mysterious trust in 2019 for $570,000. The star had previously dated the richest man on Earth, Elon Musk, who bought Heard a Tesla Model S, according to rumors.
The defamation trial revealed that Musk also donated $250,000 to the charity Art of Elysium on behalf of Heard, which the actress lied about paying on her own despite making a pledge to donate her divorce settlement of roughly $6.8 million fully to charity. Depp’s accountant and business manager Edward White testified that Heard initially requested $4 million in the divorce settlement and then steadily increased her demands to $14 million.
It’s unclear where the money from Heard’s divorce settlement ended up, considering she pledged $3.5 million to the ACLU and the same amount towards the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, but only actually donated a total of $350,000 directly.
Heard may be in luck, however, as the actress has recently received a marriage proposal from a Saudi man! Days after the end of the trial, Heard received a marriage proposal from a man in Saudi Arabia through Instagram. The man sent a voice note to Heard in which he said, “since all doors are closing on you”--- how romantic!
"Amber... since all doors are closing on you, you have no one except me to take care of you. I've noticed that some people hate and bully you, therefore, I decided to marry you. May Allah bless us both. You are a blessing but people don't appreciate that. I am better than that old man," wrote the Saudi man in a voice note to Heard.
If the Saudi man isn’t exactly Heard’s “type”, her other option would be to appeal the verdict as a way to avoid the $8.35 million. If she does so, she will be required to post bond for the damages in addition to interest during the process of the appeal.