Amber Heard is Facing a New Lawsuit after Her Defamation Suit against Johnny Depp
Since the jury delivered its verdict in early June, further developments have cropped up for both stars. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard‘s defamation case has been complicated by more events happening since the trial ended.
Heard is currently trying to figure out how to pay the millions of dollars that Depp was awarded in court. She is also trying to find a way to appeal or declare a mistrial. In addition, Heard is facing a new lawsuit from an insurance company.
The New York Marine and General Insurance Company is suing Amber Heard. They insured her from July 2018 to July 2019. This past Friday, they filed suit against her in California. They are hoping to achieve three things.
The first thing the association did was stop paying for the actress’s defense in her defamation case against her ex-husband. The group also asked that it not have to pay the money that the actress now owes him according to the verdict. Finally, it wants to avoid paying for any more legal expenses related to an appeal.
The suit claims that the Aquaman actress had an insurance policy worth $1 million. Under California law, an insurer can be held liable if the insured person is negligent.
However, New York Marine argues that “an insurer is not liable for a loss caused by the willful act of the insured.” In other words, because a jury ruled that the starlet acted with malice, the company believes it doesn’t have to pay her. The filing also notes that NYM accepted the Cameron McEvoy law firm as her defense in October 2019, yet it did not approve when the firm withdrew from the case in November 2020. Allegedly at the behest of the actress herself or her team, NYM doesn’t think it should have to pay for any legal fees.
The lawsuit reportedly says that New York Marine insured Amber Heard during a key part of the defamation case. It was during that time she published the 2018 Washington Post op-ed. That timeframe also encompasses March 2019, when Johnny Depp formally filed the defamation suit against his former spouse.
Johnny Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. His ex was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages. The amount for the punitive damages has been reduced, and Amber Heard is now required to pay $8.3 million.
The alum from the TV show Friday Night Lights seemed to be trying to get people to like her (around the time that her representative said she was similar to someone in a famous case). But now she and her legal team are asking for a new trial because they think there was a mistake with one of the jurors. They filed a lawsuit this past week making this claim.
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp is dealing with his own financial and legal problems. The Pirates of the Caribbean star has to pay more legal fees because of a recent court ruling. Plus, he might have to go to court again because of assault charges connected to his work on the 2018 film City of Lies.
It is hard to say how the fallout from the defamation case will be resolved. This latest lawsuit from New York Marine may take a while for Amber Heard to finish resolving.
Covering superheroes, anything dark, horror, and more! Lead writer for Fan Fest
