Depp loses UK defamation case over ‘wife beater’ claims

(FILES) In this file photo taken on July 17, 2020, American actor Johnny Depp arrives to attend the ninth day of his defamation trial against News Group Newspapers (NGN), at the High Court in London, on 17 July 2020. – Hollywood star Johnny Depp will find out on November 2, 2020 if he won his libel suit against British newspaper The Sun for calling him a “wife beater” in a case that exposed his chaotic lifestyle . Judge Andrew Nicol will deliver his long-awaited verdict at 1000 GMT, after three weeks of spiteful testimony in London High Court that included allegations of drug abuse and domestic violence. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor sued the editor of the tabloid News Group Newspapers (NGN) and the author of the article over claims that he was violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard during their volatile two-year marriage. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

LONDON – Hollywood star Johnny Depp lost a defamation lawsuit against Britain’s The Sun newspaper Monday for calling him a “wife beater” in a case that exposed his chaotic battle with drinking and drugs and shattered his worldwide reputation.

Judge Andrew Nicol dismissed the 57-year-old “Pirates of the Caribbean” star’s claim in London High Court, saying the article had been shown to be “substantially true.”

The Sun welcomed the ruling, as did activists against violence against women, saying it had “stood up and campaigned for victims of domestic violence 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,” he added.

But Depp’s lawyers called the ruling “as perverse as it was puzzling,” arguing that the court had ignored a “mountain of evidence to the contrary” that “completely undermined” the claims.

“The sentence is so flawed that it would be ridiculous for Mr. Depp not to appeal this decision,” said Jenny Afia, a partner at the Schillings law firm.

Depp sued the editors of the tabloid News Group Newspapers Ltd (NGN) and the author of the article over claims that he was violent towards actress and model Heard, 34, during their volatile two-year marriage.

The case was called “the largest defamation trial in English of the 21st century” and the legal odds seemed to stack in Depp’s favor.

England’s old libel law places the burden of proof on the media and remains one of the strictest in the Western world.

But NGN relied on defending the truth, arguing that it had a valid basis for the 2018 story by detailing 14 alleged cases of Depp abusing Heard.

The judge said he found that 12 of the alleged incidents occurred.

‘Show business fails’

Legal experts said Depp felt he had no choice but to sue, as in today’s age, domestic violence allegations would do more damage to his career than the details of his substance abuse.

Attorney Mark Stephens, who specializes in reputation management, said the ruling was “immensely damaging” to Depp, not just because the judge ruled that he was a wife beater.

Despite not having any drug convictions, he could now find it difficult to find work in some countries with strict visa requirements, he added.

He could still save his career by seeking help, but film companies could come under pressure if they continue to work with him, he said.

The contested article had questioned whether author JK Rowling could be “‘genuinely happy’ in the cast of wife beater Johnny Depp” in the Fantastic Beasts spin-off of the Harry Potter franchise.

Public relations specialist Mark Borkowski said Depp’s trademark nervousness had taken an “ugly and abusive” turn, calling the case “one of the biggest failures in show business in a long time.”

This November 3, 2011 file photo shows American actors Johnny Depp (left) and Amber Heard arrive for the European premiere of their film, “The Rum Diary,” in London. Image: AP File / Joel Ryan

Unbearable detail

The 16 days of proceedings in July, attended by both parties, laid out the couple’s troubled relationship in excruciatingly minute detail.

Depp vehemently rejected allegations that he hurt Heard while battling a drug addiction during a three-year period that ended with his 2016 decision to obtain a restraining order and file for divorce.

He and his legal team branded Heard a fanciful manipulator who fabricated the accusations of money and personal fame to destroy his life.

His former partners, actress Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis, the French singer, said he was “friendly” and “non-violent.”

But the judge rejected Heard’s characterizations as a “gold digger” who “built a hoax” like an “insurance policy.”

In days of crisp interrogation, the star admitted that he only vaguely remembered some events because he was high.

Heard, for his part, said that he loved the sober Depp, but that he became a “monster” after several days of bingeing on powerful prescription and other drugs.

Depp is also suing Heard in a separate case in the United States for an article he wrote in the Washington Post, which he said implied he was violent towards her.

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