Amber Heard‘s insurance company on Friday filed suit against the “Aquaman” actress, contending it does not have to pay any money after Heard’s unsuccessful defense in a defamation suit involving her ex-husband Johnny Depp.
A jury last month found that Heard defamed Depp in an op-ed about domestic violence published by The Washington Post in 2018, awarding Depp more than $10 million.
“The jury’s factual findings establish that Heard’s liability is caused by the willful act(s) of Heard,” New York Marine and General Insurance said in a suit filed in federal court, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
New York Marine says it’s not liable for costs associated with an independently appointed defense counsel for the actress, the Times report noted.
“An actual controversy has arisen and now exists between Plaintiff, on the one hand, and Heard, on the other hand, with regard to the duties and obligations owed between Plaintiff and Heard under the Policy with respect to indemnity,” the insurance company’s complaint further stated.
Heard and her legal team have made it clear that the actress does not intend to pay Depp the millions she owes him.
Elaine Bredehoft, an attorney for Heard, told NBC “Today” host Savannah Guthrie last month that her client was “absolutely not” able to pay Depp.
Notably, the actress admitted under oath during the defamation trial that she has not paid the millions of dollars she pledged from her divorce settlement to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
In court, ACLU general counsel Terence Dougherty testified that Heard has not given the full $3.5 million she promised to the organization, The Daily Wire previously reported. Dougherty testified she has so far only provided $1.3 million, and only $350,000 of that was donated by Heard herself. Another $100,000 came from Depp, and $500,000 is believed to have been donated on Heard’s behalf by billionaire Elon Musk, who dated Heard for almost a year after her divorce from Depp, Deadline reported. Dougherty said that payments stopped after 2018.
It’s also been speculated that Depp won’t seek the money from Heard, anyway.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor and his legal team have emphasized that Depp wanted his name cleared above all else.
“I imagine — and if I’m team Depp, this is what I would do — they’d look at getting an injunction to stop Amber Heard from repeating statements that the jury found were defamatory and then stipulating that the payments won’t be made and there won’t be any judgment outstanding,” legal analyst Emily D. Baker told People magazine.
“If he’s not interested in the money, I think he’s more interested in her not repeating these allegations,” Baker added.
Related: Amber Heard Owes Johnny Depp Millions. She Probably Won’t Pay