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LONDON – A British court on Monday ruled against Johnny Depp in his defamation case against the owner of the Sun tabloid newspaper, which labeled him a “wife beater.”
Judge Andrew Nicol said the defendants had shown what they posted was “substantially true” during a high-profile trial in London over the summer that included hair-raising and irreconcilable accounts of Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard in which he charged. the other of abuse. Depp’s lawyers said they would appeal the decision.
“I have found that the vast majority of the alleged attacks on Ms. Heard by Mr. Depp have been proven to civil standards,” Nicol wrote in his ruling.
Depp sued News Group Newspapers, publisher of Sun, and the newspaper’s executive editor, Dan Wootton, on an April 2018 article that accused him of assaulting fellow actor Heard. For now, the ruling represents a major blow to Depp’s reputation and finances that could seriously damage his lucrative film career.
A lawyer for Depp, 57, described the decision as “perverse and disconcerting.”
“The ruling is so flawed that it would be ridiculous for Mr. Depp not to appeal this decision,” Jenny Afia said in a statement.
Meanwhile, an attorney for Heard said the verdict “came as no surprise” to anyone who followed the trial.
Sun He called the decision an “astonishing victory for press freedom” and said he had stood up and campaigned on behalf of victims of domestic abuse for more than 20 years.
“Victims of domestic abuse should never be silenced, and we thank the judge for his careful consideration and we thank Amber Heard for her courage in testifying in court,” a tabloid spokesperson said in a statement.
In the heart of the SunDepp’s characterization as a “wife beater” were allegations he printed that the actor had assaulted Heard 14 times in locations around the world, including a “three-day hostage situation” that Heard said took place in Australia while Depp was filming a pirates of the Caribbean movie. Heard, 34, said the abuse was fueled by Depp’s drug and alcohol use and that he could become “the monster” when under the influence.
She alleged that at various times between 2013 and 2016 he hit, slapped and pushed her, pulled her hair, and threw bottles at her.
Depp admitted in court to having used marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and magic mushrooms, and became addicted to opioid painkillers. But he added: “I am certainly not a violent person, especially with women.” The judge determined that 12 episodes of
Domestic violence had occurred and he dismissed charges made by Depp’s legal team that Heard had “constructed a hoax.”
Lisa King, director of communications and external relations for the charity Refugio, which supports victims of domestic violence, expressed her hope that the ruling sends “a very powerful message” that every survivor of domestic abuse “must be heard. and it should be Heard. “
Mark Stephens, a media attorney at the Howard Kennedy law firm, called the decision “absolutely devastating” for Depp. “Johnny Depp can only be rehabilitated if he accepts this judgment,” he added.
Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
