Amber Heard Sued Over $1 Million Insurance Policy as Johnny Depp Seems to Call Her Out in New Songs
Amber Heard lost her privacy in her defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp, and then she lost the verdict. The judge ordered the Aquaman actor to pay Depp $10.35 million in damages. As she fights to have the ruling overturned, she faces a new legal challenge. Heard was sued by a former insurer over a $1 million policy, while Depp seemed to blast her in his new songs.
Johnny Depp won the trial vs. Amber Heard
Depp sued Heard for defamation for her 2018 op-ed that stated she was a public face of domestic abuse. He wasn’t named in the piece, but Depp felt it implied he was the abuser. He possibly lost out on millions of dollars when Disney dropped him from the sixth Pirates movie after the op-ed. So he sued Heard for defamation and sought $50 million in damages as he attempted to clear his name.
If the trial was about finding a winner and a loser, then you’d have to say Depp won while Heard lost. She has to pay Depp $10.35 million instead of $15 million in damages, but that is a small victory for her.
Heard and her legal team want the verdict overturned, but as she fights that battle, she faces more legal drama in the form of a lawsuit brought by her former insurance company over her $1 million policy.
Heard sued by her former insurance company over a $1 million policy
Heard’s latest legal challenge comes from a lawsuit filed by New York Marine, her former insurance company. As Law & Crime reports, New York Marine’s suit, which was filed in California, contains three financial requests:
- That it be absolved of having to pay Heard’s legal fees in the defamation case against Depp.
- That New York Marine not be required to pay the multi-million dollar judgment Depp won against her.
- That it not have to pay any costs of ongoing litigation associated with an appeal.
New York Marine insured Heard from July 2018 to July 2019. Heard had $1 million in coverage with NYM when she published her December 2018 op-ed and when Depp sued her in March 2019. California law states an insurer is not liable for loss because of the willful acts, per Law & Crime. Since the trial jury found that Heard acted with malice when she wrote her op-ed — a willful act — NYM argues it should not have to pay the damages Heard owes Depp.
Additionally, NYM’s lawsuit claims it agreed to cover Heard’s legal costs in the trial with one law firm, but that she asked the firm to withdraw from the case before the trial. Because the insurer did not approve the switch, it argues it shouldn’t have to pay.
As the 3 Days to Kill star seeks further action in the case, New York Marine sued Heard in part to absolve itself from any other costs associated with her legal ongoings.
Depp seems to slam Heard in two new songs
A Heard spokesperson blasted Depp for skipping the verdict in the defamation trial. Now the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald star is clapping back.
As Heard got sued by New York Marine, Depp seemed to blast his ex-wife in two new songs he wrote with Jeff Beck.
According to the Independent, the latest Depp-Beck effort includes a song with the lyric, “I think you’ve said enough for one motherf—ng night.” Another song, titled “Sad Motherf—ing Parade,” includes the words, “You’re sitting there like a dog with a seven-year itch,” and, “If I had a dime, it wouldn’t reach your hand.”
Depp doesn’t mention Heard by name, but it’s not hard to think he aimed his vitriol at his former partner. The Depp-Beck album, which is mostly covers with two Depp originals, comes out July 15.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.
