What If Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Had a Premarital Agreement?

The public has been captivated by the $50 million defamation lawsuit between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard over an op-ed Heard wrote in 2018 alleging she was the victim of domestic abuse. It has been six years since Heard filed for divorce, and their split continues to be caught up in litigation and controversy. 

The pair married in 2015, with no prenuptial agreement in place. At the time, Depp’s net worth was estimated to be 18 times larger than Heard’s. Ultimately, they settled from a $7 million payment from Depp, which Heard publicly announced she would donate to charity. 

Had the pair had a prenuptial agreement in place, their current situation might have played out differently. Depp may have been protected from such a sizable financial settlement, and had he utilized a confidentiality agreement in conjunction with a premarital agreement, the ongoing public spectacle may have been prevented.

Such agreements are particularly important for those with children from a prior relationship, someone getting married with significant assets prior to the marriage, public figures, or those seeking to protect their partners from debts or liabilities. 

For more Information:

See John M. Goralka, “What If Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Had a Premarital Agreement?”, Kiplinger, May 2, 2022.

Special thanks to David S. Luber (Florida Probate Attorney) for bringing this article to my attention.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2022/06/what-if-johnny-depp-and-amber-heard-had-a-premarital-agreement.html