UK court rules against Johnny Depp in libel action: Kiwi journalist Dan Wootton, The Sun wins case

Johnny Depp lost his high-stakes defamation case against the tabloid newspaper The Sun and a New Zealand-born journalist for labeling him a “wife beater” as a British judge said he believed the actor had abused his ex-wife and that she frequently feared for her life.

In a decision that has been applauded by anti-domestic abuse activists, Judge Andrew Nicol said the defendants had shown during the London trial that their accusations against Depp were “substantially true.” Depp’s lawyers said they would appeal the decision.

Over the course of nearly three weeks this summer, Nicol had heard lurid and irreconcilable tales from Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, each accusing the other of abuse.

“I discovered that the vast majority of alleged attacks on Ms. Heard by Mr. Depp have been proven to civil standards,” Nicol wrote in his ruling.

In one of the largest English defamation suits of the 21st century, Depp sued News Group Newspapers, editor of The Sun, and the newspaper’s executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an April 2018 article accusing him of assaulting his fellow actor Heard.

Wootton was born in Wellington. The 37-year-old joined the Sun in 2013.

In a series of tweets today, Wootton wrote: “You may know that Johnny Depp has been suing both my newspaper The Sun and me personally for a column I wrote questioning whether JK Rowling should have cast the troubled actor in his Fantastic Beasts franchise after a series of domestic abuse incidents against Amber Heard.

“But today it’s not about Johnny Depp. In fact, I’d be glad to never hear the guy’s name again. I certainly won’t talk about him again, although I hope he can get the help he needs.

“Today is about @realamberheard. Thank you Amber for your courage. Thank you for providing traumatic evidence in the face of the most toxic and unfair abuse of your character.
Thank you for being prepared to face the Hollywood machine. “

The ruling deals a major blow to Depp’s reputation that could seriously damage a lucrative film career, which has seen the actor take the lead in some of the most popular family films of recent times. That comes at an undetermined financial cost on top of the several million pounds in legal costs you will likely have to pay, including yours and a cut from The Sun.

A lawyer for Depp, 57, described the decision as “perverse and disconcerting.”

“The ruling is so wrong that it would be ridiculous for Mr. Depp not to appeal this decision,” Jenny Afia said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for Heard said the verdict “was not a surprise” to those who followed the trial.

Historically, Britain’s libel laws have been viewed as favoring public figures and harsh on the media and publishers.

The Sun called the decision a “surprising victory for press freedom.”

At the heart of the Sun’s characterization of Depp as a “wife beater” were the allegations it published that the actor had assaulted Heard 14 times in venues around the world.

The 34-year-old Heard said the abuse was largely fueled by Depp’s excessive drug and alcohol use and that he could become “a self-created third party” whom he referred to as “The Monster.” She alleged that at various times between 2013 and 2016 he hit, slapped and pushed her, pulled her hair and threw bottles “like grenades” at her.

Nicol pointed out several times when Heard feared for his life, including a “three-day hostage situation” that Heard said took place in Australia in March 2015 while Depp was filming a Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

“I accept your evidence of the nature of the attacks you committed against her,” the judge wrote about the episode in Australia. “They must have been terrifying.”

Depp accused Heard of making up his accusations, although he admitted in court to having used marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and magic mushrooms and that he became addicted to opioid painkillers. But he insisted that “he is not a violent person, especially with women”, a characterization that was supported by ex-partners Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis.

The judge determined that 12 cases of domestic violence had occurred and said that was enough to rule against Depp.

The judge also accepted Heard’s evidence that the accusations she made against one of the world’s most popular actors “have had a negative effect on her acting and activist career.”

Depp is also suing Heard for $ 50 million in Virginia over a Washington Post op-ed he wrote about domestic violence. The essay talks about her experience of abuse, but does not name Depp. The trial will be held next year.

“Very soon, we will present even more voluminous evidence in the United States,” said Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, Heard’s United States attorney.

Afia, who represents Depp, said that “we hope that, in contrast to this case, the ongoing defamation proceedings in the United States will be fair, with both parties providing full disclosure rather than one party strategically choosing what evidence can and cannot be relied upon. “

But one legal expert pointed out that it is often thought that a libel action is much easier to win in the UK than it is in the US.

“The implications in this case are that if you lose the case in London, it is almost an absolute certainty that you will not win in America,” said Mark Stephens, a media attorney.

Depp and Heard met on the set of the 2011 comedy The Rum Diary and were married in Los Angeles in 2015. They separated the following year and divorced in 2017.

He heard chronicles of acts of violence from the beginning of their relationship. Depp called the accusations “sick” and “cheating” and claimed that Heard was the attacker during their relationship. He said Heard hit him, even cutting off the tip of his finger with a bottle of vodka thrown during the altercation in Australia.

Heard said that she had spoken reluctantly.

“What woman has ever benefited from being a victim of domestic violence?” he asked in court.

Lisa King, director of communications and external relations for the charity Refuge, which supports victims of domestic violence, expressed her hope that the ruling will send “a very powerful message” that all survivors of domestic abuse “must be heard and should be Heard “.

Stephens, the media attorney, called the decision “absolutely devastating” for Depp.

“Johnny Depp can only be rehabilitated if he accepts this judgment,” he added.

– Associated Press