Amber Heard’s insurer has filed a lawsuit against the actress as she mounts a bid to have a new trial against Johnny Depp.
The actress and her legal team have stated that she can’t afford to pay her ex-husband after the jury awarded him $10.35 million.
After the six-week trial, Amber Heard appeared in an interview, while Depp remained silent following the victory.
Amber Heard’s insurer doesn’t want to pay her legal bills
New York Marine and General Insurance Co. filed a lawsuit against Heard on Friday in federal court – the same day her lawyers filed a legal document seeking to get a mistrial for the defamation trial that concluded in May.
The insurer is looking to avoid paying Heard’s defense bills after a jury found she defamed Depp on all three counts of the defamation lawsuit.
According to the Los Angeles Times, a different insurance company named Travelers Commercial Insurance is spending “substantial sums” defending Heard under a homeowners insurance policy filed in 2018.
They are suing New York Marine to share the legal bill; however, the insurer fired back, arguing that they do not need to cover Heard’s legal expenses if she is always being covered by a different insurance policy.
The insurer says Amber Heard willfully defamed Johnny Depp
The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in California argues that Amber Heard willfully defamed Depp.
“Plaintiff contends it has no duty to defend Heard based on California Insurance Code 533,” the insurance company wrote in its complaint, obtained by LA Times.
The legal document quoted the state code, which states that “an insurer is not liable for a loss caused by the willful act of the insured.”
While the insurer offered to provide a legal defense under California law, they argue that they don’t have to cover her defense because she is paying for intentionally defaming Depp.
“The jury’s factual findings establish that Heard’s liability is caused by the willful act(s) of Heard,” New York Marine and General Insurance Co.’s lawsuit read.
During closing arguments of the defamation trial, Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft defended Amber Heard’s failure to donate her divorce settlement to charity by citing her $6 million in legal expenses.
The Aquaman actress previously claimed that she had already donated the money.
Another factor in the ongoing lawsuit with Amber Heard’s insurer is whether they are liable to pay the lawyers the actress picked to represent her rather than one appointed by the insurance company.
It is also unclear whether their policy covers the monetary award she has been ordered to pay Depp.