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Amber Heard Faces Career Ruin and Bankruptcy

Amber Heard could be left in financial difficulty after losing the defamation lawsuit brought against her by her ex-husband Johnny Depp.

The six-week-long trial left Heard with an $8.35 million damage bill, and Hollywood experts have said there will be “no way back” for the actress following the humiliation she endured throughout the case and is now “too icky for a studio.”

Throughout the trial, Heard said Depp’s decision to sue her resulted in a loss of earnings of up to $50 million and claimed that it also prevented her from fulfilling her promise to donate $7 million to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Hollywood movie companies are unlikely to hire the actress again. The damage bill, which must be paid within 30 years, may see Heard forced to sell off assets, including a $570,000 pad in Yucca Valley and a Range Rover she was awarded after her divorce from Depp.

Attorney Sandra Spurgeon from Spurgeon Law Group in Kentucky told CBS Moneywatch that the ball is now in Depp’s court:

“He’s [Depp] in the driver’s seat right now. For an individual who doesn’t have the ability to pay the judgment and no ability to post the bond, then there is a real issue if the winning party intends to execute the judgment.”

But, according to Spurgeon, Heard has some options available to her. First, she could file for an appeal with a new judge, but this is risky. She would still have to pay the full amount while the appeal is being considered, which could see her officially bankrupt.

CBS News legal reporter Jessica Levinson said a third option might be that Heard would be forced to pay a percentage of any future earnings to Depp until the bill has been settled.

“That’s not an unusual situation where somebody says, ‘I don’t have – I can’t fulfill this,’ and so I certainly think because she has earning potential part of her wages could be garnished as a result,” said Levinson.

Hollywood experts say it’s unlikely that Heard will make any come-back in the movie industry and that most major studios will be very reluctant to hire her, especially as public contempt for the actress has sky-rocketed during the trial – with social media users trending hashtags like “MePoo” [in reference to Heard allegedly defecating on Depp’s bed] and “AmberHeardDeservesPrison.”

“There is no way back for Heard in Hollywood. If you’re sitting there making a movie or thinking about casting it, are you going to hire her? Said PR expert Mark Borkowski.

“Look at the huge outcry about Aquaman 2 [where a petition to have her kicked off the film hit four million signatures last night]. The trial pollutes any marketing or PR to launch a film.”

Meanwhile, Johnny Depp delighted pub-goers in the UK yesterday as he enjoyed a drink in a Newcastle bar. The actor seemed relaxed, smiled, and shook hands with fans.

Sam Fender, a local man who was in the bar, posted a photograph of himself and a friend sitting at a table outside the pub with Depp and guitarist Jeff Beck. He captioned the image “some serious heroes.”

Depp is set to play another gig with guitar legend Beck in the UK this evening.

This story syndicated with permission from For the Love of News