Amber Heard's lawyer says she won't be able to pay the $10 million penalty to Johnny Depp
- Amber Heard's lawyer said she won't be able to pay millions in damages she owes to Johnny Depp.
- "Absolutely not," Elaine Bredehoft, Heard's attorney, said on the "Today" show on Thursday.
Amber Heard's lawyer said on Thursday that Heard won't be able to fork over the more than $10 million in damages she owes to her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, after a Virginia jury on Wednesday ruled in favor of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star in his defamation lawsuit against Heard.
When asked by NBC "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie on Thursday whether Heard was able to pay the penalty, her attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, responded, "Oh no, absolutely not."
Additionally, Bredehoft said Heard would appeal Wednesday's verdict. Bredehoft added that it sends "a horrible message."
"It's a significant setback, because that's exactly what it means," Bredehoft said. "Unless you pull out your phone and you video your spouse or your significant other beating you, effectively, you won't be believed."
Depp had said Heard damaged his career by accusing him of domestic violence. Heard filed a countersuit against Depp.
Following a bombshell six-week trial, the jury returned a verdict on Wednesday, finding that Heard had defamed Depp with a 2018 Washington Post op-ed article.
The jury awarded Depp $15 million — $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages — but the judge lessened the punitive damages to $350,000, citing limits set by state law.
Jurors also found Depp liable for defamation against Heard when one of his attorneys said her allegations of domestic abuse were a "hoax." For that, the jury awarded Heard $2 million in damages.
The televised trial set social media ablaze in recent weeks, with many posts favoring Depp. Bredehoft said she believes social media "absolutely" had an effect on the jury, even though they were instructed not to read any reports about the case.
"There's no way they couldn't have been influenced by it. And it was horrible," Bredehoft said. "It really, really was lopsided."
Bredehoft said that the jury ultimately did not believe Heard because Depp's legal team "demonized" her client.