All eyes are hyper-focused on Amber Heard and her legal team now that a verdict has been reached in the libel case between her and Johnny Depp. The jury, which ruled against theAquamanactress earlier this week, ordered her to pay $10.4 million dollars in damages to her ex-husband after finding she was liable for defamation. Such a ruling presents a rather peculiar problem for Heard since the millions of dollars she owes is money she reportedly does not have.
Elaine Bredehoft, Heard’s lead attorney, confirmed Heard’s lack of funds on NBC’sToday Showthe morning after the verdict. When asked by host Savannah Guthrie whether Heard would be able to pay the penalties, Bredehoft straightforwardly replied, “Oh no, absolutely not.” This suggests that Heard’s current wealth, including her recent earnings fromAquaman and The Lost Kingdom, will not be enough to cover the damages. According to Bredehoft, Heard plans to appeal the verdict in hopes of getting a more agreeable decision and lowering the payment amount.
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Bredehoft’s response has since raised questions about Heard’s net worth. Some sources list it at only $1.5 million, and such a number already takes into consideration the estimated wages she received from past film and television projects that she worked on. Even her personal profits from appearing in theAquamanfranchise won’t cut it — Walter Hamada, the President of DC-based film production for Warner Bros.,testified during the trialthat Heard only made $1 million for the firstAquamanmovie and $2 million for the second one.
Apparently, Warner Media exercised her option for the sequel without renegotiating the contract she originally signed. This occurred under Hamada’s watch after the company said it wanted to curb costly pay raises. During the trial, Heard’s legal team alleged that such a move not onlydeviated from what is standard operating procedurein the film business, but it also caused significant damage to Heard’s career.
Legal experts have predicted a couple of ways that Heard’s situation could play out. If it is true that she does not have enough money to pay the damages, she could agree to have her current and future wages garnished, as well as her assets (which includes a collection of high-end cars and a Mojave Desert property) seized by Depp. She also has the option to file for bankruptcy; though she may not be able to expunge the$10.4 million debtdue to a law that says debts from causing “willful and malicious injury” to a person are not automatically non-dischargeable.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdomis scheduled to premiere in U.S. theaters on July 27, 2025.
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