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In a recent court case, Amber Heard was ordered to pay her ex-husband $15 million in damages. While the award seems small in the grand scheme of things, it is enough to deprive an actress of her paycheck. The actress is also facing an extremely large debt. To make matters worse, a judge has ruled that intentional torts are not dischargeable in bankruptcy. Therefore, a bankruptcy filing will not help Amber Heard if she is required to pay a large amount in a lawsuit involving Johnny Depp.
The actor may have some assets that would be seized by creditors if she files for bankruptcy. Even if she does manage to pay off the debt, future wages and assets could be garnished. Fortunately, most people's retirement accounts have bankruptcy protection from seizure, so she isn't at risk of losing them. Another option for Amber Heard is to beg Elon Musk for money. The actress' net worth is not yet known, but the judgment for defamation has forced her to pay Depp $15 million. It is unclear how much money she has, but she earned a couple million dollars from her roles in Aquaman movies. She is not in the best financial shape - the judgment could force her to file for bankruptcy if Johnny Depp were to execute it. Amber Heard was ordered to pay $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages. Virginia has a cap of $350,000 on punitive damages.
The actress' legal battle with Depp has destroyed her career and her finances are a shamble. If she filed for bankruptcy, she would still need to pay Depp the settlement as it cannot be discharged in bankruptcy court.. Her attorney has stated that the actress' pockets are not be deep enough to cover the damages. The jury awarded compensatory and punitive damages of $10 million, but she only won't get to keep the money from her countersuit of $2 million. Regardless of what happens with Heard's career, she's unlikely to ever be able to use bankruptcy to wipe out her debt. Another possibility is that the actress can have her wages garnished if she is ever hired to do another movie. Another option would be for Depp to settle for less than the full amount in exchange for a gag order or something similar. There is no guarantee that Depp will agree to accept her request, but the actress could at least try.
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