The upfront cost of an appeal for Heard would be equal to the judgment, plus interest, plus other possible charges.
As the judge in the defamation trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp finalized the verdict in the case on Friday, it became clear that Amber Heard may need to pay a large amount of money should she appeal. After the weeks-long, high-profile trial, in which Depp sued his ex-wife, Heard, for $50 million for defamation following an op-ed she wrote in 2018, the seven-person civil jury reached a verdict on June 1 largely in Depp’s favor, awarding him $15 million in damages—$10 million in compensatory damages with the other $5 million for punitive damages. Judge Penney Azcarate later lowered the punitive award to $350,000 per Virginia’s legal maximum. In total, after figuring the $2 million awarded Heard for her her counter-suit for nuisance, Depp’s award came to $8.35 million, which Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, has publicly stated the Aquaman actress cannot afford. On top of that, the upfront cost of an appeal for Heard would be equal to that judgment, plus interest, plus other possible charges.
