Amber Heard Is Now Facing Another Legal Issue Across The Globe

When it rains, it pours ... especially when it comes to Amber Heard's legal woes. Long before her defamation case against ex-husband Johnny Depp, Heard and Depp were a still-married couple in trouble with the Australian government. In 2015, Heard flew with the couple's Yorkshire Terriers, Boo and Pistol, to visit Depp Down Under, where he was filming "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales."

Unfortunately, she did so without filing the dogs' import permit, risking a jail sentence up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $75,000, per Marca. Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce added to the drama when he stated, per Page Six, that Boo and Pistol must return stateside promptly before they faced euthanization. While Heard pled guilty in 2016 to the illegal importation charge, she was only issued a one-month "good behavior bond" by a Queensland judge at the time, per BBC News. 

The rest of the story — you may already know. Part of Heard's "good behavior" agreement included appearing in an apology video alongside Depp to promote Australia's biosecurity laws. The video ... well, let's just say the actors didn't look too enthusiastic touting Australia's "treasure trove" of wildlife, calling the Australians a "warm and direct" people. (Ricky Gervais tweeted that it resembled a "hostage video.") Despite all her recent legal battles, Heard still has this unresolved one left on the pile. It turns out the actor is still facing some pretty serious allegations concerning this old case. 

Amber Heard may owe Johnny Depp a few million bucks, but she faces another major legal issue overseas. On June 28, a representative for the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment told Entertainment Tonight that it is "investigating allegations of perjury by Ms. Heard during court proceedings for the 2015 illegal importation of two dogs into Australia." The perjury investigation first surfaced in October 2021, as reported by E! News, with the spokesperson now confirming that the case is, indeed, "ongoing."

During Johnny Depp's libel trial against News Group Newspapers in 2020, a shocking claim was made by Depp's former estate manager, Kevin Murphy, on the witness stand, per the Associated Press. According to Murphy, Heard had asked him to lie under oath for her and testify that she had no knowledge of Australia's animal quarantine laws when she brought her dogs into the country. As Murphy said, "She wanted me to say essentially that it was my fault in one way or another that the paperwork wasn't completed, so that I could take the blame for her."

At the time, an attorney for Heard also tried to chalk her client's pet mishap up to jet lag, per E! News, claiming that she simply "made a tired, terrible mistake."