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Topics: News, Johnny Depp
Lucy Devine
Amber Heard's lawyer has said she cannot pay the $10.4 million verdict announced on Wednesday (1 June).
Speaking to TODAY's Savannah Guthrie, Elaine Bredehoft explained that Heard cannot pay the damages.
You can watch the clip below:
When asked: "Is she able to pay a $10.4 million judgement?" Ms Bredehoft responded: "Oh no. Absolutely not."
Ms Bredehoft also said that Heard would be appealing, adding that "she has some excellent grounds for it".
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When questioned over what kind of 'message' the verdict sends out, Ms Bredehoft added: "It's a horrible message, it's a set back, a significant set back, because that's exactly what it means.
"Unless you pull out your phone and you video your spouse or your significant other beating you effectively you won't be believed."
The jury announced on Wednesday that Depp had won the defamation case against Heard.
They found that Heard did defame Depp on all three counts, in her op-ed for the Washington Post back in 2018.
Depp has been awarded $15 million in damages - $10m in compensatory damages and $5m in punitive damages.
However, Judge Penney Azcarate reduced the punitive damages to meet Virginia's statutory cap of $350,000, meaning the total Heard must pay is $10.4 million.
During the verdict, the foreperson of the jury ran through each of the questions, answering 'yes' to each. These included whether Heard 'acted with malice' and whether statements about the marriage were 'false' and whether the op-ed referenced her relationship with Depp.
While the jury ruled that Heard's defamation claims against Depp were not fully proven, they did however award $2 million in compensatory damages to Heard.
Heard was in attendance in the courtroom on Wednesday, while Depp was still in the UK due to prior commitments. He is believed to have been watching the verdict.
Following the decision, Heard released a statement on social media.
It read: "The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I'm heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband.
"I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.
"I believe Johnny's attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.
"I'm sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American - to speak freely and openly."