The UK court upheld The Sun newspaper’s claim that Johnny Depp was a wife-beater when it handed down the verdict earlier today. The actor lost in the libel suit he filed to clear his name, but he will appeal.
In 2018, The Sun published an article about Johnny Depp and labeled him as a wife-beater as Amber Heard claimed.
What the verdict means to Johnny
The 57-year-old A-list actor was hoping to prove the tabloid newspaper defamed him with unproven claims with the lawsuit. However, judge Andrew Nicol ruled in favor of The Sun.
Losing in this court battle means that the judge found the allegation to be true. This means that it was proven that Johnny Depp really assaulted Amber Heard on a number of occasions.
In the 129-page court document, each of the allegations was mentioned and a corresponding verdict was posted.
In summary, the libel case filed by the Pirates of the Caribbean actor against the News Group Newspapers Ltd. was dismissed.
“The Claimant has not succeeded in his action for libel,” the verdict reads. “Although he has proved the necessary elements of his cause of action in libel, the Defendants have shown that what they published in the meaning which I have held the words to bear was substantially true.”
Judge Nicol further stated: “I have reached these conclusions having examined in detail the 14 incidents on which the Defendants rely as well as the overarching considerations which the Claimant submitted I should take into account.”
The judge also said that the parties have a chance to make submissions by writing “as to the precise terms of the order which should follow his decision.”
The Daily Mail reported that Amber Heard was relieved with the result, but she is not surprised at all.
As for Johnny Depp’s lawyers, they slammed the judge for ignoring mountains of evidence they presented. They also called the ruling ‘perverse as it is bewildering.’
The trial in the U.K. dubbed as the libel case of the century
Johnny Depp was present in the 16-day trial that was held at the High Court in London in July. Amber Heard also appeared in the court as a witness for The Sun.
During the trial, the actress alleged that she was assaulted by her ex-husband on 14 instances. The actor denied the accusations and submitted tons of evidence to prove he is innocent.
Johnny Depp’s side also tried to show that Heard was lying and that it was actually her who was the abuser in the relationship.
Both sides also presented witnesses who were questioned remotely via video call. But in the end, the actor still lost in the case.
This lawsuit has been dubbed as the libel suit of the century for it involved an A-list actor, huge money is involved. Moreover, supporters from all over the world also followed the case from day 1.
Supporters of the actor would flock to the court every day to cheer for him. They offer flowers, cards, and banners that were put up for him. On the other hand, Amber Heard only received boos until the last day of the trial.
Apparently, most people believed Johnny Depp is the victim, and his ex-wife is the abuser. This is why people were outraged by the verdict.
“This is why male victims don’t even bother speaking up,” one Twitter user wrote. “Johnny Depp has hours of tapes of Amber Heard abusing him, more than 40 witnesses, medical and police records and security camera footage, yet the judge sided with her because she is a woman.”
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