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Hollywood actor Johnny Depp lost his libel suit in London courts against the Sun after the newspaper described him as a “wife beater.”
The court refused to award the Pirates of the Caribbean star compensation for damage to his reputation at the end of one of the most-followed defamation suits of the century.
In his ruling, the judge, Judge Nicol, said: “Plaintiff [Depp] has been unsuccessful in his defamation action … The defendants [the Sun and News Group Newspapers] they have shown that what they posted in the meaning I have argued the words had was substantially true.
“I have reached these conclusions having examined in detail the 14 incidents on which the defendants rely, as well as the general considerations that the plaintiff presented that I must take into account. In those circumstances, the parliament has said that a defendant has a full defense. “
The long-awaited decision was posted online at 10 a.m. Monday, more than three months after the high court hearing ended in late July.
Depp, 57, had sued the Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an article published in the Sun that originally carried the headline “Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘Really Happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in new Fantastic Beasts movie?
News Group Newspapers relied on a defense of the truth of the claim. The burden of proof was on the Sun to show that the story was substantially accurate on the balance of probabilities.
Immediately after the ruling, NGN issued a statement that read: “The Sun has stood up and campaigned for 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. “
Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, the US attorney who will represent Heard in his next similarly motivated defamation case in the United States, said: “For those of us present at the London High Court trial, this decision and ruling is not a surprise.
“Very soon, we will present even more voluminous tests in the United States. We are committed to obtaining justice for Amber Heard in the US court and upholding Ms. Heard’s right to free speech. “
