Hollywood actor Jonny Depp has lost his massive libel case against the UK’s Sun newspaper, which he sued for calling him a “wife beater”.
Back in 2018, the newspaper had claimed Depp had assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard in a headline which read: “Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”
The trial, which dragged out over 16 days, revolved around proving whether or not the claim Depp was a “wife beater” was true in the first place. Evidence was given by Heard, their friends, family and former employees, thrusting their relationship problems into the public eye.
“For those of us present for the London High Court trial, this decision and judgment are not a surprise,” Heard’s lawyer said in a statement.
“Very soon, we will be presenting even more voluminous evidence in the US.”
Now Depp won’t get any compensation for the alleged damage to his reputation caused by the newspaper.
In his ruling, Mr Justice Nicol said the words published in The Sun were “substantially true”.
“I have reached these conclusions having examined in detail the 14 incidents on which the defendants rely as well as the overarching considerations which the claimant submitted I should take into account,” he added.
“In those circumstances, parliament has said that a defendant has a complete defence.”
A spokesperson for The Sun said the newspaper has stood up with survivors of domestic abuse for over 20 years.
“Domestic abuse victims must never be silenced and we thank the judge for his careful consideration and thank Amber Heard for her courage in giving evidence to the court,” they said.
More to come.
