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Amber Heard has been declared 'stateless' as her lawyers attempt to halt depositions in a civil dispute between her and two insurance companies.
In the ongoing case between Amber Heard, New York Marine, and General Insurance Co., a new filing was made on behalf of Heard by attorneys at Travelers Commercial Insurance on Monday, November 1, 2022.
The attorneys posit that since Heard was not a resident of the United States when the New York Marine sued her in July 2022, and still doesn't own a home, the court lacks jurisdiction to move ahead with the lawsuit.
The filing states that Amber Heard is a "United States citizen, but has no domicile in any State" and therefore she is "stateless."
Heard's attorneys at Travelers stated that "the continued prosecution of these actions is prejudicial to Heard's defense." They added that they do not want the case to proceed, while Heard is appealing for the dismissal of the verdict.
Travelers also requested that a hearing that was originally scheduled for November 3 be moved to December 1 or another convenient date.
Meanwhile, New York Marine countered whether Amber Heard was actually a non-resident of the United States at the time the Marines sued her, claiming they hadn't been given any proof to that effect.
Moreover, they do not want their scheduled depositions to be postponed, because according to them, Heard's attorneys did not address the issue at the time the depositions were scheduled.
Amber Heard is now legally homeless
The Aquaman actress sold her residence in Yucca Valley, California in July, as confirmed by property records. The house was sold for nearly $1.1 million, which was almost double the amount that Heard bought it for in 2019.
Amber Heard is currently renting a house in the village of Costitx in Mallorca, Spain, and has been spotted with her partner, Bianca Butti, and daughter, Oonagh Paige Heard.
Amber Heard reportedly does not own any properties in the United States, and is therefore legally homeless and stateless.
According to the US Department of State's website:
"A stateless person is someone who, under national laws, does not enjoy citizenship – the legal bond between a government and an individual – in any country."
Effectively, the claim puts forth that as she is no longer a resident of the country, the US courts do not have the jurisdiction to sue her.
Netizens have pointed out that not owning a home is not adequate ground for exemption and that she can be sued in absentia.
Others have tweeted that it is the "wildest interpretation of "statelessness" they have encountered.
The tripartite legal battle explained
The dispute between Amber Heard, New York Marine, and Travelers Commercial Insurance involves settling who is liable to pay whom.
As per the verdict in June 2022, Heard owes $10 million to Johnny Depp as the jury found her to have made false and defamatory statements with “actual malice.”
Amber Heard relied on her insurance providers, New York Marine and Travelers Commercial Insurance, to pay part of the damages as per their liability insurance policy.
New York Marine, however, claimed that they were not duty-bound to follow through on the policy as the liability was caused by "wilful acts" by Heard.
The first lawsuit was filed by Travelers against New York Marine in 2021, claiming that the latter had neglected to “reimburse Travelers for half of the attorney’s fees, costs, and expenses of defending their mutual insured” in the Depp case, “which left Travelers bearing an inequitable portion of the defense.”
In a counterclaim, New York Marine argued that it is not liable to pay Travelers because Cameron McEvoy, the attorney the company wanted Heard to hire, stopped representing her in November 2020 and was not present at the trial.
In July 2022, New York Marine filed a second lawsuit against Amber Heard, seeking a declaratory judgment to absolve them of any legal obligation to compensate Heard. The recent "stateless" claim by Travelers has been made against this case.
According to a filing made in April, the Depp-Heard case racked up over $8 million in legal fees and expenses.
