What happens if Amber Heard loses? Huge financial hit coupled with PR disaster could end her career
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s current legal face-off is nearing its conclusion. The date for closing arguments has been scheduled for May 27. As of now, the 36-year-old actress and her team of lawyers are currently trying to prove her innocence as Depp sued her for $50 million, claiming she defamed him by writing an op-ed piece for The Washington Post in 2018 in which she called herself “a public figure who represents domestic abuse”. Heard countersued her ex-husband and demanded $100 million. Both are now fighting the case against each other in a Virginia court.
The trial began on April 11 and since then, there have been a number of shocking revelations about Heard and Depp’s relationship that included 15 months of married life. Both the parties have accused each other of violence and abuse throughout the Fairfax County trial. Now, it is almost time for the seven jurors involved in the case to decide who had actually defamed whom and who is at fault.
READ MORE
'Sickening': Amber Heard SMIRKS while Johnny Depp recounts how she severed his finger
'Universally detested': Greg Ellis rages against 'criminal' Amber Heard as he supports Johnny Depp
What happens if Amber Heard loses?
As mentioned earlier, Depp has sued Heard for $50 million. If the jury think the actress has defamed Depp and harmed his career, she will have to pay the compensatory amount determined by the court. Heard’s net worth is reportedly far less than what Depp has asked from her. If she is asked to cough up a huge amount, she may have to declare herself bankrupt. An Arizona-based trial and personal injury lawyer, Mark Breyer, reportedly said on his TikTok, “You can't get blood from a turnip. That's the reality. We don't have debtors’ prisons anymore. So what's going to happen is he [Depp] could go after all the money she had, she would probably file for bankruptcy, but certain things would be protected in bankruptcy. But the reality is that's the problem with laws where people aren't required to have insurance.”
Also, because it’s a civil case, Heard won’t have to spend time behind bars even if the court finds she violated and abused the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star while she was with him. As per inews, “The burden of proof is also lighter in a civil case than a criminal case. In a criminal case the defendant’s guilt must be proven ‘beyond reasonable doubt’, whereas in a civil case the jury simply has to decide which side of the dispute they believe to be more likely.”
Commenting on the case and its possible outcome, Halim Dhanidina, a criminal defense attorney and former California judge, said: “Any time a defamation lawsuit is successful, it has a chilling effect on speech. There has always been a chilling effect for victims to come forward and speak out against institutions or entities or people with power because they feel like their world could come crashing down on them.”
Dhanidina also added that if the verdict comes out supporting Depp, “then I'm sure there are people out there who would think twice about making statements if those statements could expose them to legal liability.... A verdict will have a chilling effect one way or the other regardless of what the verdict is.”
However, in this high-profile televised case there is more than just the court ruling. Since both Heard and Depp are public figures with their own legacies, fans and followers, any decision against them in the court of law not just impacts them personally but professionally as well. Reportedly, Heard’s career map before the Depp controversy was quite similar to stars, like Zendaya and Gal Gadot. But after the drama began, entertainment industry expert Kathryn Arnold told the court as reported by Newsweek, ‘The Rum Diary’ “suffered $50 million in damages due to her reputational damage”.
Besides, noting the latest social media trends, it's not hard to realize that the majority of people online are in favor of Depp, which is not a good sign for Heard. If she loses this legal battle, it won’t be surprising if people boycott her. Her standing with the public will also affect her chances of getting new, noteworthy projects.
According to NPR, “public opinion appears to be weighing far more heavily in favor of Depp than Heard. On TikTok, as of Monday morning, #IStandWithAmberHeard has garnered about 8.2 million views, while #JusticeForJohnnyDepp has earned about 15 billion views.”
Sociologist Nicole Bedera explained the reason behind it, saying: “I think there are a lot of reasons for that. One of them that's really simple, and that we cannot overlook is, in a defamation case, Johnny Depp gets to go first. And so his side of the story has been told in full. And a lot of people made up their minds after week one of the case or day three of the case. But the other reason is that in online spaces, we often see that men's rights groups and other anti-feminist groups are better organized. We know that men's rights activist forums, for example, have been following the Heard case pretty carefully.”
Bedera also noted that Depp’s stardom plays a vital role too. The doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan added: “We all think that sexual violence is wrong and say that we will believe and support survivors, up until the perpetrator is someone we know and like. You don't want to feel like you're a bad person if you continue to like ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean.’”