As Johnny Depp’s libel case against The Sun begins in the UK high court, his lawyers insisted that their client is no “wife-beater.”
At the beginning of the trial, they also said that the allegations of the actor’s ex-wife, Amber Heard, are “complete lies.”
Johnny Depp sues The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, for the April 2018 article that named him a “wife-beater.” Allegedly, the write-up held “overwhelming evidence” that he assaulted his then-wife when they were still together.
A vindication Johnny Depp is hoping for
The 57-year-old actor’s lawyers cleared that the case was never about money but “vindication.” The Hollywood A-lister has been dying to clear his name and reputation after the claims made against him.
They said the Aquaman actress only “invented” the stories about the alleged serious violence. Allegedly, she was the real “abuser” in their two-year relationship and not her former husband, Sky News noted.
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The malicious attacks against Johnny Depp
In the written outline of the case, Johnny Depp’s barrister, David Sherborne, said the controversial article resulted in a “full-scale attack” on their clientele. The accusation also amounted to “defamatory allegations of the utmost seriousness.”
“The author deploys a panoply of cultural and topical references – namely the #MeToo movement, the Time’s Up movement and the disgraced film mogul and serial abuser of women Harvey Weinstein – in order to convey the seriousness of what the claimant is alleged to have done,” Sherborne said.
“They are allegations which the claimant absolutely denies, and which, at the time of publication, he had already publicly denied.”
The lawyer continued Johnny Depp’s position is clear; Amber Heard’s accusations are all lies.
“The claimant was not violent towards Ms. Heard; it was she who was violent to him,” he added. “He (Depp) is not and never has been a wife-beater.”
The Pirates of the Caribbean star previously claimed that it was the 34-year-old actress who started the physical fights. She was the one who punched and hit him, and there was “little” he could do to stop it.
“She was the abuser, not him,” Sherborne added. He also said that evidence to support the claim would be presented to the court.
The high-profile trial watched by the many
According to The Guardian, Johnny Depp’s high-profile trial may last for about three weeks. It is also spread across five courts so that social distancing will be observed. Also, it is to accommodate the media.
Both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard arrived at the high court. They were wearing scarves as face masks, arriving separately.
Featured image used courtesy of Andrea Raffin/Shutterstock