It’s been revealed today that Johnny Depp has lost his libel case against The Sun over claims they made that he beat his ex-wife, Amber Heard. We got this news via The Guardian, who revealed that the court opted to refuse Johnny Depp for compensation for damage to his reputation.
This was easily one of the most high profile cases of this sort ever. In the judge’s ruling, Mr Justice Nicol said: “The claimant [Depp] has not succeeded in his action for libel … The defendants [the Sun and News Group Newspapers] have shown that what they published in the meaning which I have held the words to bear was substantially true.” He continued: “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. In those circumstances, parliament has said that a defendant has a complete defence.”
This decision, which was a long time coming, was published online at 10am on this morning (Monday, November 2nd, 2020). This decision came over three months following the high court hearing finished in July. However, the Coronavirus pandemic probably had something to do with that. Johnny Depp was seeing The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers and their executive editor, Dan Wootton over an article he published in The Sun. The article was published with the headline: “Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”
Johnny Depp has lost his case against The Sun over claims he beat Amber Heard
Credit: Universal Pictures
Read more: Johnny Depp’s Libel Case In Jeopardy After New Damning Evidence
However, News Group Newspapers stood by their article and claimed that the information within the article was current. They had to provide proof to substantiate their claims that Johnny Depp was indeed beating his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
After the judge issued his ruling, News Group Newspapers made a statement in which they wrote the following.
“The Sun has stood up and campaigned for the victims of domestic abuse for over 20 years. 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.”
Amber Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, in her upcoming defamation case in the US which is pretty similar to this one in the UK had this to say about the ruling: “For those of us present for the London high court trial, this decision and judgment are not a surprise.” She continued: “Very soon, we will be presenting even more voluminous evidence in the US. We are committed to obtaining justice for Amber Heard in the US court and defending Ms Heard’s right to free speech.”
What do you make of this news? Do you think they’ll be any more developments in the whole Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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