Johnny Depp has been ordered to pay £630,000 ($AU1.14 million) in legal fees and was denied permission to appeal the results of a recent UK court case, which found British tabloid The Sun did not libel the actor by calling him a “wife beater”.
The BBC reports Depp’s bid to appeal the findings was refused by Judge Andrew Nicol, who oversaw the initial case.
“I do not consider that the proposed grounds of appeal have a reasonable prospect of success,” Justice Nicol wrote, adding, “there is not some other compelling reason why permission to appeal should be granted.”
Justice Nicol made the ruling last week but it was only revealed on Wednesday, along with confirmation the 57-year-old actor must pay £630,000 ($AU1.14 million) to The Sun to cover its legal bills.
The trial revolved around a 2018 column in the paper from executive editor Dan Wootton, who claimed Depp was a ‘wife beater’, and pointed to alleged incidents of verbal abuse and domestic violence perpetrated against his ex-wife, actor Amber Heard.
The column also called on author J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter series, to reconsider Depp’s casting in the Fantastic Beasts film franchise.
Depp sued the paper, with a 16-day trial taking place this July.
The court heard a number of confronting allegations, and was shown texts in which Depp reportedly spoke of drowning and burning Heard.
Depp strenuously denied the allegations made against him.
Justice Nicol concluded the matter early this month, ruling the column was “substantially true”, and that 12 of 14 allegations the article contained did occur.
Depp vowed to fight the ruling earlier this month, telling fans he would appeal the “surreal judgment”.
“My resolve remains strong,” Depp wrote. “And I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false.”
Depp also revealed he had been asked to stand down from the Fantastic Beasts films (Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen was today confirmed as his replacement).
BBC reports The Pirates of the Caribbean star now has until December 7 to file a separate appeal with the Court of Appeal itself.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
