Since their verdict was announced, many have wondered what would happen if Amber Hard failed to pay Johnny Depp $ 10.35 million in compensation and how much money she now has.
Depp and Hard were married from 2015 to 2016. Hard filed for divorce in May 2016, 15 months after the marriage. In her divorce filing, she also received a temporary restraining order against Depp, claiming that she had abused him while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Depp denied the allegations, and আগ 7 million was settled out of court in August 2016. Hard promised to donate money to ACLU and Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. “Our relationship was intensely emotional and sometimes turbulent, but always bound by love. Neither side made false accusations for financial gain. There was no intention of physical or mental harm,” the two helped in a joint statement.
In 2018, Hard wrote an op-ed The Washington Post About his experience with domestic abuse. Although she did not name Depp, many believed the post was about her ex-husband. Depp sued Hard for 2019 50 million in defamation in 2019, claiming that he had to do acting because of op-ed, including his role in Walt Disney Pictures. Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Fantastic Beasts Series Hard, for its part, sued Depp for 100 million.
The trial began in April 2022 and ended in June 2022, with a seven-person jury comprising five men and two women finding Depp guilty of three counts of defamation in his case. The jury ordered Hard to pay Depp $ 10 million in damages and $ 5 million in punitive damages for a total of 15 million. Depp, for his part, was convicted by a jury of a defamation count against Hard and was ordered to pay ড 2 million in damages and ড 2 million in total punitive damages. Due to the limitation of punitive damages under Virginia state law, Judge Penny Ezcaret Hard reduced the punitive damages from $ 5 million to $ 350,000. If Hard and Depp’s damages are forged against each other, Hard will have to pay Depp a total of $ 8.35 million, for which he is liable for the $ 2 million he owes.
What if Amber Hard can’t compensate Johnny Depp and how much money he has? Read what Johnny Depp’s options would be like if Amber Hard couldn’t pay him.
Photo: AP Photo / Steve Helber.
What if Amber Hard can’t compensate Johnny Depp?
What if Amber Hard can’t compensate Johnny Depp? Hard’s lawyer, Elaine Bradhoft, told Today on June 2, 2022 that her client could not pay ডে 10.35 million in damages to Depp. “Oh no. Absolutely not,” Bradhoft asked if Hard had the money to pay Depp’s compensation.
A source told The New York Post at the time that legal fees and travel, clothing, gifts and wine had caused a hard “break” due to his past extraordinary expenses. The newspaper also reported that Hard had to change legal representation during the trial and was using his homeowner’s insurance from insurance company The Travelers Company to cover the costs of his current attorneys. Pamela Johnson, vice president of The Travelers Company, has appeared in court in Fairfax, Virginia, more than once since the trial began in April 2022. Heidel Heidelbagh, a Pennsylvania-based attorney for the trial, told the New York Post that it was not uncommon for defendants to use homeowners insurance policies in defamation cases. “It’s a little weird that most people don’t know. In most homeowners insurance policies, there is coverage if you file a defamation suit based on how much you pay through the coverage, ”he said.
Virginia-based lawyer Jeremiah Denton explained to The New York Post that while most insurance companies will pay for a defendant’s attorney, most policies have a clause that the costs of the judgment – such as $ 10.35 million in hard debts – will not be covered. “The insurance company will have the option of denying coverage at the end of the day in its back pocket – denying coverage means refusing to pay the plaintiff, in which case Mr. Depp,” Denton said.
He continued, “Many insurance policies provide coverage for defamation but there is a waiver among them, which says ‘we will not cover intentional wrongdoing.’ If you want to win a defamation suit against a public figure, you have to show intentional injustice. Sometimes what you need to get a verdict gets you out of a policy that can pay for a verdict. That’s the decent thing to do, and it should end there. “
What if Amber Hard can’t compensate Johnny Depp? Virginia-based appeals lawyer Steven Emert told The New York Post that one of the ways Depp was collecting his compensation was to collect pay for his upcoming movies. Come with me And On fire, As well as confiscate his home in the Yuka Valley of California. According to The New York Post, Hard bought a three-bedroom, three-bathroom home in 2019 for $ 570,000 under a private trust in the name of his accountant. The house is currently valued at 1 million.
“If he doesn’t have the money, his Avenue, when he’s making an appeal, will try to execute him on the property he owns,” Emmert said. The lawyer may ask him questions such as ‘Which property do you own, which real estate do you own, which vehicle do you own, which jewelry, which industrial collection do you own’ – anything else they can use to grab and sell at auction and, finally, May try to pay the price. “
Denton told The New York Post that if Hard didn’t pay, Depp could start “collecting” things so he could sort them out. [Heard’s] Salary, if he has a salary or wage-type income. “He continued,” He can attach his assets which basically means confiscating them. He can get his assets, sell them and take cash. ” Lawyer Brett Turnbull, a founding partner of Turnbull Hallcomb and Lemon, told the New York Post that the verdict in Virginia could be good and extended for 10 years. [Heard] Up to 30 years may be subject to this judgment. If suddenly he has a new infusion of money – it can be discovered [Depp] And follow, ”he said.
According to Celebrity Networth, Hard is worth $ 8 million, so it is possible that he will be able to pay a total of $ 8.35 million to Depp immediately. “Depp could sue Amber for a sum of money that he could collect by levying taxes on most of his assets (not his house if he lived in it). Whether or not he can declare bankruptcy for a large part of the judgment depends on the assets and liabilities he has, “explained Stacey Phillips, Family Law and Divorce Attorney and partner at Blank Rome LLP, to Stylecaster.
Mark Breyer, an Arizona-based trial and personal injury lawyer, explained to Tickto before Hard and Depp’s verdict that Hard could file for bankruptcy if Depp’s debt was not paid. “You can’t get blood from turnips,” Breyer said. “It simply came to our notice then. We no longer have prisoner defaulters. So what is he going to do [Depp] After all his money may go, he will probably file for bankruptcy, but some things will be safe in case of bankruptcy. But the reality is that there is a legal problem where people do not need to be insured. “
Sandra Spurgeon, attorney for Spurgeon Law Group in Lexington, Kentucky, told CBS News after the verdict that it was a “serious deal” if Hard could not repay Depp. “For a person who does not have the power to make a judgment and does not have the power to post a bond, there is a real problem if the winning party wants to enforce the judgment,” Spurgeon said. Spurgeon told CBS News that he predicted that Hard’s lawyers would try to appeal the verdict in the hope of a more favorable verdict and a reduction in pay. Another option is to post a bond for a $ 8.35 million loss to Hard, which may not be possible.
“The question is if he says, ‘Look, I don’t have it ৷ it’s not there – you can see my bank accounts,’ then we can talk about things like arranging his wages,” Jessica Levinson, a legal contributor to CBS News, told the site. “It’s not an uncommon situation where someone says, ‘I don’t have – I can’t afford it’ and so I think of course because he has the potential to earn, so some of his wages can be adjusted.” CBS News explained that if Hard filed for bankruptcy, it would only pay $ 8 million in damages, but he would still have to pay 350 350,000 in punitive damages, which usually cannot be waived at the time of bankruptcy. Spurgeon further noted that Depp may choose not to execute the judgment and to waive the financial loss which would free Heard from his financial obligations. “She’s in the driver’s seat now,” he said.
If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) for confidential assistance.
