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Amber Heard files countersuit related to Johnny Depp lawsuit

November 22, 2022

Amber Heard has filed a countersuit against an insurance company that claims she failed to pay out her million dollar policy due to ‘willful misconduct’.

By Nathan Kamal | Posted 1 hour ago

Amber Heard has filed a countersuit against New York Marine and General Insurance Co., asking a judge to enforce a policy the company wishes not to pay. According to a report by TMZ, New York Marine and General Insurance Co. has filed a lawsuit in California that would allow them to reject a million dollar payout to the Aquaman actress. Insurance company claims they didn’t have to pay her due to ‘willful misconduct’ over defamation while Amber Heard claims policy was unconditional

It appears that Amber Heard took out a liability insurance policy for that amount to protect her in the recent Depp v. Heard, which ultimately resulted in her being held liable in three defamation cases against her ex-husband. The jury ordered him to pay the former Pirates of the Caribbean actor $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages (which were reduced to $350,000 under the law of the state of Virginia). While New York Marine and General Insurance Co.’s million dollars would be less than a tenth of what Amber Heard was ordered to pay, it is still considerable.

Essentially, the insurance company appears to be claiming the policy is void due to the defamation of Johnny Depp for which Amber Heard was found responsible; the actress conversely claims that New York Marine and General Insurance Co. has agreed to pay her defense costs and judgments up to $1 million, regardless of the circumstances. Essentially, both parties in this lawsuit are claiming that the insurance policy says the opposite of what the other says, which means it must be a pretty weird contract.

Since the end of the defamation lawsuit, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have mostly stayed away from the public eye, albeit in very different ways. Depp seemed to regain some of his former status in Hollywood, where he had been one of the biggest box office draws in the world for decades. He is currently in production on the film Jeanne du Barrya historical biopic in which he will play the King of France Louis XV.

Johnny Depp also performed and recorded music with rock legend Jeff Beck, selling out his first art show in minutes and dealing with even more legal issues. Amber Heard, meanwhile, is believed to be living under an assumed name in Spain and has widely stated publicly that she intends to appeal the defamation judgment through her legal team. It was also said that she was in a bidding war for a tell-all book.

At the very least, it looks like the legal fallout from the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard battle is still ongoing and now involves even more third parties. Given that Amber Heard doesn’t seem to inspire the same kind of public recovery project as Depp and likely isn’t in contention for many acting roles, a million dollar insurance policy isn’t not something she is likely to drop easily.