Amber Heard's Insurance Company Refuses To Pay Johnny Depp Settlement

Amber Heard is facing yet another lawsuit, this time from her insurance company — they don't want to pay her damages to Johnny Depp.

In June, the Aquaman actress was ordered to pay her ex-husband US$10.35 million (S$15 mil) in compensatory and punitive damages after a jury in Virginia ruled she had defamed him when she wrote an article in 2018 about being a victim of domestic abuse, while she awarded US$2 million in compensatory damages.

Heard was hoping her US$1 million liability policy with New York Marine and General Insurance Co. would see her not having to foot the bill. Per Law & Crime Network, the company insured Heard from July 18, 2018, to July 18, 2019 — a time frame that includes the contentious article Heard wrote for The Washington Post that was the basis for Depp’s suit against her.

However, while the policy covers various types of wrongful conduct, including defamation, TMZ reported that under California law — which governs the policy — an insurance company is not liable to pay if the insured party committed wrongful, willful misconduct, and the firm noted that not only did the jury find Heard had committed willful defamation, it was also deemed to be malicious.

The insurance company is now seeking a declaration from the judge that based on the policy and the law, they are not responsible to pay the damages for the Danish Girl star.

Heard previously admitted she could understand why people might dismiss her and Depp as "Hollywood brats" for taking their differences to trial, but she insisted there was much more to the case than a former couple airing their dirty laundry in public.

In her first post-trial interview with the Today show's Savannah Guthrie, Heard said: "I would not blame the average person for looking at this and how this has been covered and thinking that this is Hollywood brats at their worst.

"But what people don’t understand is that it is actually so much bigger than that. This is not only about our First Amendment right to speak."

Heard also said she was astounded by the "vitriol" aimed at her on social media, and she went on to claim she saw Depp's fans lining the streets outside the courtroom holding signs with death threats on them.

She said: "Every single day I passed three, four, sometimes six city blocks lined with people holding signs saying 'Burn the witch' and 'Death to Amber'.

"After three-and-a-half weeks I took the stand and saw a courtroom packed full of Captain Jack Sparrow fans who were vocal, energised." — BANG SHOWBIZ