Unsealed court documents show Amber Heard has walked away from a divorce payment from Johnny Depp that could have totaled tens of millions of dollars when the financially-struggled actress sells her beloved California home.
Documents viewed by Daily Beast show the 36-year-old Aquaman star ignored instructions from her legal team to avoid prosecuting Depp for the maximum money she was entitled to after they filed for divorce in 2016.
She could have asked for half of Depp’s $33 million he earned filming Pirates of the Caribbean Part 4 since it was filmed during their marriage.
But Heard decided against it, emailing them saying she’s “amazingly true to[her]word that it’s about the money now.”
A judge refused to admit that evidence during Depp’s defamation lawsuit against Heard.
She was ordered to pay Depp a total of $8.3 million after being found guilty of defamation, but says she doesn’t have enough money to do so.
Amber Heard appears to have sold a Southern California property for over a million dollars, just as documents unsealed from her lawsuit with Johnny Depp show she may have left tens of millions on the table in her divorce
She may have now started raising some of that money by selling her Yucca Valley home in the California desert for $1.05 million, which translates to about $500,000 in profit for Heard, according to TMZ.
Heard reportedly bought the home in 2019 through an anonymous trust linked to the actress.
There is speculation about Heard’s ability to immediately recover the damages, which include $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.
She will also receive $2 million from Depp in a counterclaim, leaving her with just over $8 million to pay.
She may have started raising some of that money by selling her Yucca Valley home in the California desert for $1.05 million, for a profit of about $500,000
Heard reportedly bought the home in 2019 through an anonymous trust linked to the actress
There is speculation about Heard’s ability to immediately recover the damages, which include $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages. She will also receive $2 million from Depp in a counterclaim, leaving her with just over $8 million to pay
The latter amount was reduced due to Virginia’s $5 million cap on such awards.
Newly unsealed court documents suggest Heard may have removed more than enough of it to pay for their divorce.
The Daily Beast pointed out that Judge Penney Azcarate refused to allow Team Amber to produce a conversation she had with her attorneys during the divorce proceedings.
The actress’ lawyers asked her to pursue what she said was “tens of millions of dollars” she was entitled to from Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean winnings.
They claimed that because Depp made Pirates of the Caribbean 5 during the marriage, it was “common property” and an asset to which Heard was entitled to a half.
Heard wouldn’t let them chase that money, and her attorneys said via email that she “keeps her word” that the cash wasn’t involved.
Judge Azcarate denied any reference to those emails during the defamation trial.
Perhaps the most stark revelation from the documents is that Team Depp may have attempted to submit nude photos of Heard as well as Amber’s brief stint as an exotic dancer.
Heard’s legal team argued these were “irrelevant personal matters” that should not be admitted at trial.
Heard, 36, appealed the judge’s decision in her defamation case against Johnny Depp on July 21 – two months after she was ordered to pay her ex-husband $10 million in damages.
Newly unsealed court documents suggest Heard may have removed more than enough of it to pay for their divorce
Judge Penney Azcarate refused to allow Team Amber to produce a conversation she had with her attorneys during the divorce proceedings. The actress’ lawyers asked her to pursue what she said was “tens of millions of dollars” she was entitled to from Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean winnings
Heard was denied a trial request a week earlier – arguing that one of the jurors should not have served on the case because his subpoena was for his father, who had the same name and lived at the same address.
In June, the Aquaman star was ordered to pay her ex-husband $10.35 million at the end of a explosive six-week trial when a jury ruled that she had defamed her ex-husband in a newspaper opinion published in 2018.
Depp, 59, was awarded $15 million, including $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
The judge later capped damages to the state maximum of $350,000, leaving Depp a total of $8.35 million.
Meanwhile, Heard won one of her three counterclaims related to statements by Depp’s attorney that she and her friends vandalized her home before calling the police.
Heard received $2 million in damages out of the $100 million she was seeking.
Amid news of Heard’s appeals, Depp’s reps told last week that they were confident in the verdict.
Depp and Heard filed their appeals with the Virginia Court of Appeals
“The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented during the trial and came to a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr Depp on multiple counts. We remain confident in our case and that this verdict stands,” a spokesman for Depp said.
A day after Heard’s team filed an appeal, Depp’s team filed one after he was ordered to pay $2 million in damages after being convicted of a single defamation charge he alleged he had made against him Claims of domestic violence are wrong.
The Pirates of the Caribbean cast say they have appealed to ensure “all information is considered by the court” while they return to consider Heard’s appeal.
Timeline of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial
In March 2019, Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for $50 million after she wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post in 2018 saying she was molested by the Pirates of the Caribbean star. However, she never explicitly named Depp in the piece, instead writing that she is “a public figure who portrays domestic violence.”
In February 2020, audio footage obtained by revealed it was heard punching Depp. “I frigging punched you… I don’t know what the motion of my hand was but you’re fine, I didn’t hurt you, I didn’t punch you, I punched you,” I heard said.
In January 2021, Heard sued her ex-husband for $100 million
On April 11, 2022, the six-week trial began in Virginia to discuss the abuse allegations made throughout the couple’s relationship. The couple married in 2015 but divorced in 2017.
On April 20, 2022, Heard admitted to getting violent with Depp when audio recordings of the actress were played
On May 4, 2022, Heard took the stand to recall his romance with Depp before he allegedly abused her. The actress said the abuse dates back to 2013, when Depp allegedly sexually assaulted her.
On May 25, 2022, Depp testified again, claiming Heard’s allegations were false. He claimed never to have abused his ex-wife
On June 1, 2022, the judge in Depp ruled Heard’s defamation lawsuit, ordering her to pay the The Pirates of the Caribbean star $10.3 million. The jury awarded Heard $2 million after Depp’s attorney said Heard and her friends ransacked her home before calling the police.
On July 21, 2022, Heard appealed the judge’s decision in her defamation case against Depp — two months after she was ordered to pay her ex-husband $10 million in damages.
On July 22, 2022, Depp appealed his conviction for defamation of Heard after he called the domestic violence claims made against him a “hoax” — and ordered him to pay his ex-wife $2 million