Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom star Amber Heard may have just opened up more legal issues for herself outside of the defamation suit filed by Johnny Depp after she was cross-examined by Depp's lawyers. Her recent admission on cross-examination could open the door for perjury charges in the United Kingdom, which could lead to her never being granted permission into the country again.
While being cross-examined by Depp's lawyer Camille Vazquez, Heard was questioned about her claims that she donated her divorce settlement to two charities - Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union. Vazquez asked her if she truly had donated the money to those charities, to which Heard said yes on the premise that the word "pledge" and "donate" meant the same thing in her book. Vazquez later explained to Heard that those two words are not synonymous and then asked Heard if she had actually paid the charities, to which Heard clarified that she had not because of Depp's lawsuit.
This could potentially loom large for Heard, as she had previously testified under oath verbatim that she had donated the money to the charities during Depp's libel suit against a United Kingdom publication in 2020. Because she has confirmed on record that she has not, she could potentially face perjury charges in the United Kingdom. Sean Caulfield at law firm Hodge, Jones and Allen said that might be the case. "While it may not be a central issue to the case [the donations], perjury is the single biggest threat and cuts to the core of our justice system," Caulfield said. "So the police may be invited to investigate to show that any member of the public who lies to the court can be prosecuted for perjury.”
It's all speculation at this point, and Heard won't face any criminal charges until this defamation lawsuit is over, but this is something that people should pay attention to. Mixing up that kind of terminology is a very big mistake even if Heard truly believes the word donate and pledge are synonymous. She has swayed the public to believe that she donated the money to give off the impression that she wanted nothing from her divorce from Depp. Furthermore, adding that the reason why she hadn't donated it was because Depp sued her does not make it better because considerable time passed between their divorce and her op-ed.
It also doesn't help her chances of Depp's lawsuit ending in her favor. Now it's on public record that she had lied to, or at the very least manipulated, the public with her supposed charity donation. It will probably make the jury suspicious of what else she hasn't been completely honest about when giving her story of how things unfolded between her and Depp as their dysfunctional marriage disintegrated. There's still plenty of time left in this lawsuit, but having this be revealed is not a good look for Heard.
For the first time, this was no longer based on 'he said, she said' testimony. Both Heard and Depp have testified of what the one did to the other, leaving it up to the public to decide which one to believe. Depp may not win this defamation lawsuit, but this recent twist in his favor could help his case in getting his acting career back. However, he's only won the battle, not the war. He and his team still have an uphill legal battle to fight.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released in theaters on March 17, 2023.
Source: Law&Crime Network/YouTube, Express