Did Amber Heard Just Sell Her House To Pay For Johnny Depp Appeal?

Actress Amber Heard has reportedly sold her house amid the ongoing legal drama against her ex-husband Johnny Depp.

Depp had been suing his ex-wife for $50 million over a December 2018 op-ed Heard wrote for the Washington Post where she claimed to be a survivor of domestic violence. Although she did not mention Depp by name in the article, Depp claims that he has lost movie roles due to the “clear implication” that he was her abuser.

Heard also argued that she lost out on movie roles and endorsement deals, including several scenes from the upcoming “Aquaman” sequel, and was subject to a wide array of abuse at Depp's hands.

On June 1, a seven-person jury unanimously ruled in favor of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor at the end of a six-week defamation trial that had taken place in Fairfax County, Virginia. They found that defamation had occurred in Heard's article and found in Depp's favor for $15 million dollars - $10 million dollars in compensatory damages and $5 million dollars in punitive damages. That $5 million dollar sum was later reduced to $350,000 dollars, the maximum allowed under Virginia state law.

However, the jury also ruled that one of Depp's attorneys had committed defamation when he called Heard's abuse claims "a hoax." They found in Heard's favor for only $2 million dollar, making Depp the clear victor of the trial.

Although Depp has been touring around with Jeff Beck, Heard's legal team, led by Elaine Bredehoft, has been doing everything in their power to get the jury's verdict thrown out, even alleging a fake juror sat on the stand. Although the judge denied their motion to declare a mistrial, Amber Heard filed for an appeal at the end of July; however, Deadline reported that she did not front the full $8.3 million dollar bond required to do so.

The day after, Johnny Depp also filed an appeal against her, although Depp's legal team, led by Camille Vasquez, remains confident that the jury's verdict will stand.

“The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented during the six-week trial and came to a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr. Depp, in multiple instances,” said a spokesperson for Johnny Depp. “We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand.”

It seems that Amber Heard might be growing nervous that she will have to cough up the millions to her ex-husband after all, as she recently sold her Yucca Valley retreat.

According to TMZ, Amber Heard has sold off her secluded Yucca Valley home in Southern California. According to Zillow property records, the home was sold for $1,050,000 dollars with a closing date of July 18.

The "Zombieland" actress had first bought the house in 2019 through an anonymous trust that has ties to Heard. At the time, it was bought for just over $570,000 dollars, so it looks like Heard was able to make about a $480,000 dollar profit in about three years. It's worth noting that Amber Heard bought the property before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown started and property values have been on the rise all over the United States.

TMZ spoke to the new owner of the secluded desert dwelling, and he was able to confirm that the house used to be owned by the 36-year-old actress. However, he said that he dealt with representatives for Heard, and never Amber Heard herself.

Right now, it's just speculation that the "Justice League" actress sold her house specifically to pay off the $8.3M judgment, although her legal team has previously claimed that Amber Heard cannot afford to pay it, so it makes sense that she might be willing to sell it to make some quick cash.

Right now, it's not really clear where Heard is living now. She has been spotted most frequently in New York, especially in the Hamptons. As The Blast previously reported, shortly after the jury's verdict was announced, she was spotted grocery shopping for “Cheerios, Diet Coke, and cauliflower.” She also added red pepper, lettuce, and Tate's Cookies to her shopping basket.

“She was very unassuming,” an insider told Page Six at the time. “She was very Hamptons casual. No makeup. Everyone left her alone.”