American actor Johnny Depp lost the libel case he filed against British tabloid The Sun that called him a “wife beater” in a story that features his marriage with actress Amber Heard.
Depp sued News Group Newspapers, publisher of the Sun, and its executive editor, Dan Wootton for releasing a story in 2018 that initially ran with the headline: “Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”
The actor said the article ruined his reputation and was the reason he did not get signed on the newest film of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise.
In the UK, for one to win the libel case suit, the one who was accused must prove that its claims are true. This is different from the system in the US, where the one who filed a case must be the one to prove that the claims made against him are not true.
Justice Andrew Nicol, the judge of the 16-day trial, said the newspaper proved its article was “substantially true”. He added that there was enough evidence to support the claims of Heard.
In a statement in response to the verdict, The Sun said that it has “stood up and campaigned for the victims of domestic abuse for over twenty years,” and that “domestic abuse victims must never be silenced and we thank the Judge for his careful consideration and thank Amber Heard for her courage in giving evidence to the court.”
Heard accused Depp of verbal and physical abuse, claiming that the actor on several occasions slapped, kicked, head-butted, and choked her, as well as through liquor bottles at her. Depp, on the other hand, said that Heard is a manipulative liar, a gold digger, a drunk, and the one who constantly assaults him.
Depp’s attorney, however, said they promise to file for an appeal.
