Actor Johnny Depp has lost a lawsuit he filed against The Sun newspaper, a British newspaper that publicized Depp’s alleged physical abuse of his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The newspaper’s posts of 2018 about how Depp used to beat up his wife caused a ruckus during a case between Heard and Depp some months ago. Depp’s lawsuit named the executive editor of the newspaper, Dan Wootton, and the News Group Newspapers as defendants in the libel lawsuit.
Judge Andrew Nicol of a High Court in the United Kingdom ruled against Depp on Monday, stating that the photos, audio files, and text messages from Deep’s phone prove that the newspaper was correct in the assertion that Depp used to beat his wife when they were together. Although Depp admitted that he struggled with drugs and alcohol addiction during the marriage, he insisted that he didn’t lay a hand on his wife.
“This is my conclusion after examining the 14 incidents which the defendants cited as evidence as well as the claimant’s far-fetched arguments against the defendant, ” Nicol stated.
The widely publicized trial was charged with a tense atmosphere with Heard accusing Depp of threatening to kill her several times. Depp, Heard, and some of their friends and acquaintances testified during the trial. The evidence that the Sun’s lawyers placed before the court gives details of Depp physically abusing Heard 14 different times from 2013 to 2016 in different locations which include Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Australia.
The first incident allegedly occurred in 2013 in LA. According to the defendant’s lawyers, Heard had laughed when Depp said something, and he had slapped her several times until she fell to the floor. The lawyers also alleged that Depp told Heard that a “monster” is at times unleashed in him whenever he gets angry. Though Depp’s representative explained that the actor could not remember when he made the statement, they insisted that their client never laid his hands on Heard.
Depp’s representatives, a law firm was known as Schillings revealed that Depp will appeal the “largely flawed ruling”. The defendants’ representative stated that the newspaper has been an advocate against domestic violence for more than two decades. They appreciated the judge for his “careful consideration” and also appreciated Heard’s bravery in speaking up in court.
The 2018 article published in The Sun had heavily condemned Harry Potter author JK Rowling for allowing Depp to feature as Grindelwald in the adaptation of her book “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” because he was a violent “wife-beater”. Of the 14 incidents of physical abuse tabled before the court, 12 were accepted by the judge. The judge also accepted a text message that Depp wrote where he called his wife “a gold digger” and other unprintable names as well as explaining how he is going to humiliate her.
The judge also dismissed the poop incident that earned the actress the title “Amber Turd” stating that at the time it happened, Depp had been away and couldn’t have been inconvenienced by it like he stated was his wife’s intention in pooping on the couple’s bed. The incident had most likely offended and inconvenienced Heard herself, the judge stated. Heard and Depp met on the set of “The Rum Diary” in 2009 and got married in 2015. They were married for two years before getting divorced in 2017.
Source: pagesix.com
