Amber Heard’s legal team spoke out following her civil suit loss, saying the actress cannot pay the $8.35 million in damages owed to Johnny Depp.
Heard’s Lawyer, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, appeared on the Today Show Thursday and said that Heard has “excellent grounds” to appeal the verdict and is making plans to do just that.
When asked if Heard was able to pay the damages required by the verdict on Wednesday, Bredhoft stated adamantly, “No, absolutely not.”
On Wednesday, a jury in Virginia awarded Depp more than $10 million in damages. Heard also won a $2 million verdict against Depp, leaving her owing him a little more than $8 million in a split decision.
“It’s a horrible message. It’s a setback, a significant setback because that’s exactly what it means,” Bredhoft said during her spot on the Today Show.
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The lawyer went on to say that “Unless you pull out your phone and you video your spouse or your significant other beating you, effectively, you won’t be believed.”
Bredhoft continued to insist that the jury had been influenced by public opinion during the trial. She said they had been impacted by outside ideas, including social media, despite strict orders from the judge not to read anything about the case.
Bredhoft also stated that Depp’s legal team had tried to “demonize amber and suppress the evidence.”
Her lawyer noted that Heard was feeling the “burden” of Wednesday’s verdict.
Heard released a statement following the verdict on her Twitter account, saying, “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It’s a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”