It’s been a little more than a week since a jury found overwhelmingly in favor of Johnny Depp in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. The actress was hit with a judgment of over 8 million dollars, which prompted her lawyer to very publicly say she can’t afford to pay and an appeal would be forthcoming. Her financial situation was, of course, a hot topic of unsubstantiated speculation after those comments, and now, the chatter has gotten even louder after Heard was reportedly spotted getting off a private plane.
According to TMZ, the Aquaman star flew on a private plane to New Jersey to take some New York City meetings and then flew back to DC, as she has been staying nearby in Virginia. Her sister reportedly accompanied her on the trip, alongside at least two other people, though it’s unclear what exactly the meetings in question were about.
Of course Amber Heard’s usage of the private plane attracted its share of negative headlines and negative comments on Twitter. Saying you can’t afford to pay a legal judgment and then flying private, a luxury most people could never afford, isn’t exactly the best optics, but in her defense, the situation is a bit more complicated than that. There was so much intense focus on the trial and so many people developed very aggressive opinions on the matter that her just buying a standard plane ticket doesn’t exactly seem advisable. Even with a mask, it’s unlikely she’d be able to blend into an airport for hours.
In addition, we don’t know what exactly the alleged meetings in New York were about. It’s not unheard of for studios to send private jets for major celebrities, and she's had her share of major roles. She easily could have been taking a plane a company sent for her. In addition, while she doesn’t seem to have $8 million in disposable income, she has plenty of very famous and very rich associates who have plenty of money.
Regardless of who paid for the private plane, Amber Heard does have a money situation she will need to figure out. She was awarded $2 million from the jury over a statement Depp’s former attorney made, but that amount was completely swallowed up by the $15 million he was awarded. That number was reduced to $10.35 million based on caps on certain kinds of damages, which brings her total bill to $8.35 million. Depp’s attorneys have said the matter was never about money for him. As such, it’s possible the two parties could come to some kind of arrangement in which they settle for less money or no money if she agrees not to appeal the verdict.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were married from 2015 to 2017. Their relationship was often tumultuous, and their break-up has been an extended legal process. They’ve been in and out of various courts for years, though this most recent trial, in which they sued and countersued each other for defamation, attracted far and away the most attention since cameras were allowed inside the courtroom.
Both parties took the stand and admitted to and/ or accused each other of many things including abuse and drug use, though it was the lighter topics that seemed to attract the most attention like who pooped in the bed. Multiple witnesses also went viral for things that happened during their testimony including farting, dropping a sick burn and whatever it is this guy was doing with his mouth.
There’s no timeline for when we might know about the appeal process and/ or a settlement, but whenever forward progress does happen, we’ll follow up.
