‘I’m still in shock’: Johnny Depp can’t believe he won, as Amber Heard ‘can’t pay’ judgment

Johnny Depp revealed his shock at winning while joking to fans about the finger he lost in Australia, as Amber Heard plans to appeal the multimillion dollar judgment she ‘can’t afford’.

Johnny Depp expressed his “shock” at winning his defamation trial and receiving a multimillion-dollar judgment, which ex-wife Amber Heard can’t afford to pay up.

Arriving in Glasgow for a performance with guitarist Jeff Beck, the 58-year-old was greeted by fans congratulating him on the big win.

“Thank you, I’m still in shock a little,” he told fans.

Jay Phillips told MailOnline that Depp signed autographs, smiled and joked as he pointed to a little boy’s fingers and said: “You have five, I have four and seven eighths. Mad.”

Depp claims to have lost the fingertip during a fight with Heard in Australia in 2015.

Ms Phillips added that Deep seemed “humble and sincere”.

“He’s a very sweet and kind man. Not many A-list celebs would stand greeting fans in the rain,” she said.

“The child asked about Captain Jack and Johnny proceeded to tell him a story about it and asked the kid for a high five.”

Johnny Depp gestures to fans during a recess outside court during his civil trial against Amber Heard. Picture: AFP.

Amber Heard, meanwhile, can’t afford to pay Johnny Depp more than $AUD13milllion in damages, according to her lawyer, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft.

While the Aquaman star intends to appeal the verdict, she could be required to post a bond for the full judgment, plus interest, as the appeal proceeds, according to CBS News.

Legal experts say if Heard can’t pay up, she’ll be indebted to Depp, and may have her future wages garnished.

Lawyer Brian Pastor told CBS Depp could also go after real estate, jewellery and other valuable items — although some assets, such as retirement accounts, would be protected.

Heard could also file for bankruptcy, however that’s unlikely to cover the punitive damages, according to Mr Pastor, who said bankruptcy law excludes debts stemming from “wilful and malicious injury by the debtor” to another party.

The jury in the Depp vs. Heard case awarded actor Johnny Depp US$15 million in his defamation case against Heard. Picture: Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP

But Heard could escape paying altogether if Depp decides not to executive the Judgement, effectively waiving the monetary damages, lawyer Sandra Spurgeon told CBS.

“He’s in the driver’s seat right now,” she said.

Depp could also use Heard’s intention to appeal to negotiate a lower payment, Mr Pastor said.

“He’s already won in the court of public opinion. Maybe he’s willing to say, ‘If you drop the appeal, I’m willing to drop the judgment’.”

Multiple sources said the Aquaman star had to switch legal representation and is relying on her homeowner’s insurance policy to cover the cost of her current lawyers in the case.

The bill for Heard’s attorney has mostly been footed by The Travellers Companies under terms of the actress’s insurance policy, sources told the New York Post.

A vice president of the insurance firm, Pamela Johnson, was spotted in the Fairfax, Virginia, court with Heard multiple times throughout her trial.

EXCLUSIVE DETAILS: Amber Heard is 'broke' due to mounting legal fees, lavish spending: sources https://t.co/JjLHuYRuc4pic.twitter.com/NRIRvtoDbA

— New York Post (@nypost) June 3, 2022

Heard’s net worth has been estimated at between US$1.5 million and US$2.5 million as of Thursday, according to the Celebrity Net Worth site and other outlets — a far cry from what she owes Depp in the wake of the jury’s ruling.

Amid the lurid, six-week defamation trial, Heard and multiple witnesses had testified that the actress might not have the funds to actually pay her ex-husband.

Court testimony revealed that Heard was paid US$1 million for 2018’s Aquaman and another US $2 million for the sequel, which is due out next year. Her role in that movie has been significantly reduced.

Amber Heard’s Gucci bee earrings. Picture: AFP

The Post pointed out Heard’s pricey accessories worn to court including a pair of Gucci bee earrings, as well as spending on California property, vintage Ford Mustang, and luxury fashion items outweighed Heard’s recent earnings.

Inside Amber Heard's $570K escape home in the middle of the desert https://t.co/psToTroM6Npic.twitter.com/ddF7IRYgMu

— New York Post (@nypost) May 31, 2022

HEARD TO APPEAL DEFAMATION LAWSUIT

Amber Heard will appeal the high-profile defamation lawsuit that found she lied about Johnny Depp, with her lawyer confirming she can’t afford the US$15 million judgment.

While the damages were reduced to the statutory limit of US$10.35 million and the jury awarded Heard US$2 million damages of her own, defence lawyer Elaine Charlson Bredehoft said the actress couldn’t afford the US$8.35 million payout.

Asked if Heard could afford the payout, the equivalent of $AUD13millin, Ms Bredhoft said on Today: “Oh no, absolutely not.”

EXCLUSIVE: @SavannahGuthrie talks to Amber Heard’s attorney, Elaine Charlson Bredhoft, following Johnny Depp's legal win. pic.twitter.com/i1EOlz1NcU

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 2, 2022

Ms Bredehoft added that Heard “has excellent grounds” to appeal the decision after the court allowed Depp’s legal team to “demonise” Heard despite the “an enormous amount of evidence”.

“A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused,” Ms Bredehoft said.

She said that the jury was not allowed to consider the libel case Depp lost against The Sun in 2020, suggesting new evidence Heard may be able to bring into any appeal.

“And the court found there, and we weren’t allowed to tell the jury this, but the court found that Mr Depp had committed at least 12 acts of domestic violence, including sexual violence against Amber,” she added.

US actress Amber Heard waits before the jury announced a split verdict in favour of both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Picture: AFP.

“So what did Depp’s team learn from this? Demonise Amber, and suppress the evidence.

“We had an enormous amount of evidence that was suppressed in this case that was in the U.K. case. In the U.K. case when it came in, Amber won, Mr Depp lost.”

She continued that the jury, which was not sequestered during the trial, could have been pressured into the verdict by the wall to wall social media coverage of the trial that largely supported Depp.

“There’s no way they couldn’t have been influenced by it, and it was horrible,” she said. “It really, really was lopsided.”

“It’s like the Roman Colosseum how they view this whole case. I was against cameras in the courtroom, and I went on record with that and had argued against it because of the sensitive nature of this, but it made it a zoo.”

The six-week trial ended when a seven-person jury found that Heard had defamed Depp in an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”

The jury found Heard was defamed when Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, called the allegations of abuse a “hoax”.

In a statement following the ruling, Heard said she was disappointed at how the verdict was a setback for women everywhere. It was a sentiment that Heard expressed in private, according to Ms Bredehoft.

US actor Johnny Depp reacts upon arrival at the Sage Gateshead venue, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England. Picture: AFP.

“One of the first things she said is that, ‘I am so sorry to all those women out there,’” Bredehoft said. “This is a setback for all women in and outside the courtroom, and she feels the burden of that.”

She added that the ruling was a significant blow to the #MeToo movement and will discourage women from reporting abuse.

“It’s a horrible message,” Ms Bredehoft said. “It’s a significant setback, because that’s exactly what it means.

“Unless you pull out your phone and you video your spouse or your significant other beating you, effectively you won’t be believed.”

Originally published as ‘I’m still in shock’: Johnny Depp can’t believe he won, as Amber Heard ‘can’t pay’ judgment