Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Johnny Depp loses libel case over Sun 'wife beater' claim

Johnny Depp loses libel case over Sun 'wife beater' claim

Johnny Depp has lost his libel case against the Sun newspaper over an article that called him a "wife beater".

Mr Depp, 57, sued the paper after it claimed he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard, which he denies. The Sun said the article was accurate.

Judge Mr Justice Nicol said the Sun had proved what was in the article to be "substantially true".

He found 12 of the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence had occurred.

Mr Depp's lawyer called the ruling "perverse" and said the Hollywood actor intends to appeal.

A spokesperson for the Sun said it had stood up for domestic abuse victims for decades, and thanked Ms Heard for "her courage in giving evidence to the court".

The trial was heard over 16 days in July at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Ms Heard's lawyer in the US, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, said the judgement was "not a surprise".

"Very soon, we will be presenting even more voluminous evidence in the US," she said.

Mr Depp is suing Ms Heard, 34, in the US in a separate case, over an opinion piece she wrote in the Washington Post. Mr Depp says the article implied he was violent towards her.

'Depp made Heard fear for life'


The allegations of violence spanned the period between 2013 and 2016, when the couple split.

The judge highlighted three incidents where he said Mr Depp had put Ms Heard in "fear for her life".

In one of those incidents, in Australia in 2015, Mr Depp was allegedly physically and verbally abusive towards her while drinking heavily and taking drugs.

Mr Depp accused Ms Heard of severing his finger, but the judge said he did not accept Ms Heard was responsible.

"Taking all the evidence together, I accept that she was the victim of sustained and multiple assaults by Mr Depp in Australia," said Mr Justice Nicol.


Mr Depp spent around 20 hours in the witness box


"It is a sign of the depth of his rage that he admitted scrawling graffiti in blood from his injured finger and then, when that was insufficient, dipping his badly injured finger in paint and continuing to write messages and other things," the judge said.

"I accept her evidence of the nature of the assaults he committed against her. They must have been terrifying."

Heard 'not a gold-digger'


Of the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence, there were two the judge did not rule as having occurred.

They were an alleged incident in December 2014, which the judge said he was "not persuaded... constituted a physical assault", and another in November 2015, which the judge said could not be proven because it was not put to Mr Depp in cross-examination.

Mr Justice Nicol said that "a recurring theme in Mr Depp's evidence was that Ms Heard had constructed a hoax and that she had done this as an 'insurance policy'," and that Ms Heard was a "gold-digger".

But he added: "I do not accept this characterisation of Ms Heard."

Speaking outside court on the last day of the trial in July, Ms Heard said the case had been "incredibly painful" and she just wants to "move on her with her life".

Jenny Afia of Schillings law firm, who represented Mr Depp, said: "This decision is as perverse as it is bewildering.

"Most troubling is the judge's reliance on the testimony of Amber Heard, and corresponding disregard of the mountain of counter-evidence from police officers, medical practitioners, her own former assistant, other unchallenged witnesses and an array of documentary evidence which completely undermined the allegations, point by point."

"The judgement is so flawed that it would be ridiculous for Mr Depp not to appeal this decision," she added.


The two film stars attending a screening together in London in 2015


A spokesperson for the Sun said: "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."

Charity Women's Aid said everyone who experiences domestic abuse "deserves to be listened to and believed".

"This also applies to survivors who do not fit the image of the 'perfect' victim - and regardless of the high profile of the alleged abuser. There is no excuse for domestic abuse."

What next for Johnny Depp?


By Ian Youngs, BBC News arts & entertainment reporter

A decade ago, with three Oscar nominations under his belt, he was Hollywood's best-paid actor. Now, this ruling, and the revelations from the trial, have done huge damage to Johnny Depp's reputation and career.

Will film fans want to watch him play the heavy-drinking US photojournalist W. Eugene Smith in his next movie, Minamata, which is due for release in February? Will it still come out?

Will viewers want to see him in the new Fantastic Beasts movie - or, given that it started filming relatively recently, might Warner Bros decide he should be dropped? Those are his only two new credits listed on IMDB - will there be any more?

Reputation management lawyer Mark Stephens said the ruling was "immensely damaging", and the only way he can find forgiveness in Hollywood and among the public is to admit his problems and get treatment.

But it is "very difficult to see how children's authors like JK Rowling or children's entertainment companies like Disney" can stand by him, Mr Stephens said.

This wasn't a criminal trial, and Mr Depp still has a substantial fan base who have made themselves heard on Twitter since the ruling.

PR guru Mark Borkowski said there was now an "indelible stain" on his reputation - but that the fans "might help to rebuild something from the wreckage of defeat".

Mr Depp's case was brought against News Group Newspapers (NGN) - publisher of the Sun - and executive editor Dan Wootton over an article published on the Sun's website on 27 April 2018.

The article had the headline: "Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?"


Mr Depp sued Dan Wootton, pictured, and the Sun's publisher


Evidence was heard from both Mr Depp and actress Ms Heard along with friends and relatives of the ex-couple, and several former and current employees.

Mr Depp's lawyer David Sherborne said his client's case was about "clearing his name".

The Sun's publisher said Mr Depp was "controlling and verbally and physically abusive towards Heard, particularly when he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs".

And the Sun's lawyer argued there is "no doubt that Mr Depp regularly and systematically abused his wife".


Amber Heard's statement outside court in July


AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×