Amber Heard ‘sells California desert home for $1m’ after losing defamation trial to Johnny Depp

According to reports, the three-bedroom, three-bath property was sold off-market for $1.05m. Heard purchased the property for $570,000 in 2019.

The new owners of the 2,450 square foot estate are Rickard and Carol-Jeannette Jorgensen, who own Las Vegas-based risk management firm Jorgensen & Company LLC, as reported by the New York Post.

The previous listing for Heard’s Yucca Valley home described it as a “once in a lifetime property”, with several luxurious features including a 110-foot engineered bridge that leads to a mountainside gazebo.

Other amenities reportedly include a 1,200-square foot garage, a whole home surround-sound stereo system, a wet bar, and a kitchen with a double-griddle stove, as per the listing on Glen Realty.

Last month, Heard filed a motion to appeal the verdict in the high-profile defamation lawsuit filed against her by Depp.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star alleged that Heard had defamed him in an op-ed published in The Washington Post, in which she described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse”.

Heard filed a counter-suit in November 2020, asking to be granted immunity against Depp’s claims.

On 1 June, a jury overwhelmingly found in Depp’s favour, noting that the Aquaman actor had defamed him in three statements.

Jurors also found that an attorney for Depp had defamed Heard in one of three statements highlighted in her counter-suit.

Depp was awarded $10m in compensatory charges, related to lost career opportunities, and $5m in punitive damages. Judge Penney Azcarate later reduced the punitive damages to $350,000, the maximum allowed in the state of Virginia, where the trial took place.

For her part, Heard was awarded $2m in damages for one of her three counterclaims. It left her owing $8.35m in total to Depp.

Soon after the trial finished, however, Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft appeared on morning talk shows to say that her client would be unable to pay the vast amount she owed to Depp.