Amber Heard
Actress, plays Mera in Aquaman
- Entries
- 11
- On the record
- 7
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Aug 23, 2023
The record
Amber Heard is an American actor whose legal record runs well beyond the Virginia defamation trial. It includes a 2016 guilty plea in Australia over her arrival paperwork, a charitable pledge and later an ambassador role at the ACLU, evidence she gave in London, and a dispute with her insurer over her legal costs.
Courts have ruled on her own conduct only in narrow ways. An Australian magistrate accepted her plea to a false-document charge, and the Court of Appeal in London said it made no finding on whether her statements about donating her divorce settlement were misleading.
In 2023 Australian prosecutors declined to pursue allegations that she misled the 2016 court. A federal judge in California issued a tentative ruling the same year dismissing her counterclaims against the insurer that had defended her in Virginia under a reservation of rights.
Roles and honours on the record
Every entry, newest first
- Reported
Heard announced a settlement, saying she "made no admission"; Depp's lawyers said it includes a $1M payment to him. Johnny Depp v Amber Heard: $10.35M Virginia award, UK libel loss
- Ruled
Same jury awarded Heard $2M compensatory over one statement by Depp's lawyer, per Courthouse News Service. Johnny Depp v Amber Heard: $10.35M Virginia award, UK libel loss
- Ruled
Virginia jury found Heard defamed Depp; award $10M plus $5M punitive cut to $350,000 cap, per NPR. Johnny Depp v Amber Heard: $10.35M Virginia award, UK libel loss
Stories in this file
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The record, entry by entry
- 2016 Official She pledged to donate 3.5 million dollars to the ACLU over ten years, according to the organisation's own account published in 2022. ACLU statement
- 2016-04 Admitted At Southport Magistrates Court in Australia she pleaded guilty to providing a false immigration document after two dogs were flown into Australia in 2015. She received a one-month good behaviour bond; illegal import charges were dropped. AP report (via WDIV)
- 2018 Official The ACLU invited her to become an ambassador and to work on an op-ed about sexual assault and domestic violence. It says it does not offer ambassadorships or write op-eds in exchange for donations. ACLU statement
- 2021-03-25 Ruled The Court of Appeal refused Johnny Depp permission to appeal his libel loss against The Sun's publisher, a case in which she gave evidence. It made no finding on whether her donation statements were misleading. Court of Appeal (Civil Division), press summary
- 2022-07-08 Filed New York Marine and General Insurance Company sued her in federal court in Los Angeles for declaratory relief over its duties under a policy covering July 2018 to July 2019. She counterclaimed in November 2022. U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal., No. 2:22-cv-04685, Doc. 46
- 2022-07-13 Ruled Fairfax County Judge Penney Azcarate denied her post-trial motions, including a mistrial bid over a juror who served in place of his father, finding she could not show prejudice. GPB News report
- 2023-03-09 Ruled Judge George Wu issued a tentative ruling dismissing her breach-of-contract counterclaim, likely without leave to amend, and her claim for breach of the implied covenant of good faith with leave to amend. U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal., No. 2:22-cv-04685, Doc. 46
- 2023-08-23 Reported Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said no prosecution would be brought over allegations tied to her 2016 sentencing, after the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions decided against it. AP report (via WDIV)
Documents
- Court of Appeal press summary, Depp v News Group Newspapers and Wootton (25 Mar 2021)
- Tentative ruling, New York Marine and General Insurance Co. v. Heard, C.D. Cal. (9 Mar 2023)
- ACLU, What you need to know about ACLU ambassadors, including Amber Heard (18 May 2022)
- AP report on Australia dropping the dog-import perjury case (23 Aug 2023)
- GPB News report on the denied post-trial motions (13 Jul 2022)