New York Marine and General Insurance Co. filed a lawsuit against the Amber in federal court, seeking a ruling about whether it has to pay Heard after her defeat in a defamation lawsuit brought by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp.
The complaint comes a little more than a month after the verdict in the drawn-out, highly publicized trial before a jury in Virginia to decide the merits of Depp's claim that Heard had defamed him, and Heard's countersuit.
The trial involved weeks of contentious testimony, including Heard's graphic allegations of sexual violence during their marriage. Depp denied Heard's allegations of domestic abuse.
Depp won three claims against Heard, while Heard won one of three claims she brought against Depp in her $100-million countersuit.
Now her insurance company says it does not believe it has to pay Heard on the policy, which provided liability protection up to $1 million.
Plaintiff contends it has no duty to defend Heard based on California Insurance Code 533," the insurance company said in its complaint. The state code provides that "an insurer is not liable for a loss caused by the willful act of the insured,
The insurer said it had initially advised Heard it would provide a legal defense, but under California law, it did not have to provide an indemnity for her actions.
"The jury's factual findings establish that Heard's liability is caused by the willful act(s) of Heard," New York Marine and General Insurance Co.'s suit said.