Johnny Depp’s agent says ex-wife Amber Heard's 2018 op-ed piece describing herself as a victim of domestic abuse was “catastrophic” to his career and coincided with the loss of a $23 million deal for a “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequel. Video / AP
Amber Heard cannot afford to pay her ex-husband Johnny Depp after she lost the highly publicised defamation trial.
The jury members found Depp should be awarded US$10m ($15.2m) in compensatory damages and US$5m ($7.6m) in punitive damages, but noted Heard was also defamed by Depp's lawyer when he called her abuse allegations a "hoax" and awarded her US$2 million ($3m).
However, Virginia law only allows punitive damages up to a maximum of US$350,000 ($534,000) meaning Depp was awarded a total of US$10.35 million ($15.8m).
Subtracting Heard's award from Depp's total, the Pirates of the Caribbean star leaves the case with US$8.35m ($12.8m).
And now New York Post has reported Heard's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, appeared on NBC's Today show where she was asked if her client will be able to pay what she owes to Depp.
Bredehoft responded with, "Oh no, absolutely not." Before going on to say the Aquaman actress will appeal the verdict adding she "has some excellent grounds for it".
Amber Heard and her lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, pictured in court. Photo / AP
The attorney also claimed there was an "enormous amount of evidence suppressed".
"They were able to suppress the medical records, which were very, very significant because they showed a pattern going all the way back to 2012 of Amber reporting this to her therapist, for example," she told the programme.
Amber Heard is set to appeal the defamation trial verdict as she cannot afford to pay Depp. Photo / AP
"We had a significant amount of texts, including from Mr Depp's assistants, saying 'When I told him he kicked you, he cried, he is so sorry.' That didn't come in."
Heard's net worth has been under debate since the beginning of the explosive trial, Fox Business reports it is US$8 million ($12.3 million), while Celebrity Net Worth lists her net worth at US$2.5 million ($3.86 million).
However, multiple sources have told the New York Post that the actress is "broke" and is relying on her homeowner's insurance policy to cover the cost of her lawyers.
The publication reported the hefty bill for Heard's lawyers has been mostly covered by The Travelers Companies due to a term in her insurance policy.
Meanwhile, another source told the publication the actress is strapped for cash because she has spent her money on lavish items like travel, clothes, gifts and wine.
Amber Heard reacts to the guilty verdict. Photo / Court TV via AP
"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 continued, "I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publically shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.
"I believe Johnny's attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK."
She concluded her statement by saying, "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."
A new documentary fronted by Herald journalist Jared Savage goes into the dark world of child sex abuse material with the Customs investigations team. Video / Greenstone TV
