LOS ANGELES – Amber Heard’s insurer is suing the actress in Los Angeles, alleging in federal court that her policy does not cover any of the $8.3 million in losses ex-husband Johnny Depp won against her in their highly publicized defamation trial.
Heard had a $1 million liability policy with New York Marine and General Insurance Company, who says the policy does
not cover “willful” misconduct, which is what the jury in the defamation case found she was liable for.
The suit claims that between July 2018 and July 2019, the Aquaman actress was covered by an insurance policy valued at $1 million. Per California insurance law, an insurer can indeed be held liable due to negligence on the insured party’s part. However, New York Marine argues that “an insurer is not liable for a loss caused by the willful act of the insured[.]”
In other words, because a jury ruled that the starlet acted with malice, the company believes that it shouldn’t have to compensate her.
The filing also notes that NYM accepted the Cameron McEvoy law firm as her defense in October 2019, yet it did not approve when the firm withdrew from the case in November 2020, allegedly at the behest of the actress herself or her team. Due to that change, the insurer does not believe it should have to shell out cash for legal fees.
City News Service contributed to this article
