Johnny Depp Loses Libel Case Against British Newspaper "The Sun"

Johnny Depp has lost his libel lawsuit in the London courts against the British newspaper "The Sun" after the outlet described the Hollywood actor as a "wife beater."

Johnny Depp's lawsuit

The high court dismissed the claim by the actor for compensation at the end of one of the most followed libel trials of the decade.

In his ruling that is 128 pages long, Judge Justice Nicol said that Depp had not succeeded in his action for libel and that "The Sun" had shown that what they published in the meaning which he had held the words to bear was true, according to CNN.

Judge Nicol added that he found that the great majority of alleged assaults of actress Amber Heard and Depp had been proved to the civil standard.

He also said that he accepted Heard's evidence that the allegations she made against Depp had a negative effect on her career as an actor and as an activist.

Also Read: Johnny Depp still battling with post-divorce depression months after separation from Amber Heard

The judge then stated that he had reached these conclusions after he examined in detail the 14 incidents on which the defendants rely as well as the considerations which the claimant submitted that he should take into account.

According to the parliament, Heard had a complete defense.

Judge Nicol said he did not accept the actor's characterization of his ex-wife as a "gold-digger." He added that he recognized that there were other elements to the divorce settlement, but her donation of $7 million to charity is not an act one would expect to be done by a "gold-digger."

Out of the 14 incidents of assault reported by Heard, 12 of them were said to have concrete evidence and was proven.

In his conclusion, the judge cited an email that was sent by the actor to his ex-wife back in August 2016. The email was full of derogatory remarks and insults.

The Sun stands its ground

The decision was highly anticipated by the public, and on November 1, it was published. It took three months for a decision to be made, as the high court hearing happened in July.

The 57-year-old actor had sued The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor, Dan Wootton. It was over an article published by the outlet that had the headline "Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?"

NGN relied on a defense of truth to the claim. The Sun demonstrated the proof and stated that the story was accurate on the balance of probabilities, according to BBC.

After the ruling, the publisher issued a statement saying that "The Sun" has stood up and campaigned for the victims of domestic abuse for the past 20 years.

The outlet added that domestic abuse victims must never be silenced, and they are grateful to the judge for his consideration. They also thanked Heard for her courage in giving evidence to the court.

U.S. lawyer Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, who represented Heard in her forthcoming defamation case, said that the decision and the judgement did not come as a surprise, according to Telegraph.Co.

Bredehoft added that soon, they would be showing more evidence in the U.S. court as they are adamant in obtaining justice for the actress and defending her right to free speech.