Fantastic Beasts star Johnny Depp lost his libel case against the Sun after the publication had branded him a wife-beater after claims from his ex-wife, Aquaman star Amber Heard.
After months of depositions and court proceedings, Johnny Depp has lost the libel case he filed against the Sun for labelling him a wife-beater following accusations from Aquaman star Amber Heard. Fans were shocked to learn about the tumultuous relationship between the pair when they both recalled various violent incidents earlier this year when giving evidence for the court in London. But Mr Justice Nicol ruled that Heard’s claims against Depp have been proved, which means the headlines published by the Sun and News Group Newspapers were “substantially true.”
“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. I have found that the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms Heard by Mr Depp have been proved to the civil standard.”
While Johnny Depp alleged that his ex-wife had a huge part to play in the breakdown of their relationship (as well as accusing her of being a gold-digger), the judge explained in his 129-page ruling that of the 14 violent incidents described by Amber Heard, he found 12 of them to be true. He also concluded that the Aquaman star’s $7 million donation to charity doesn’t exactly fit the profile of someone just in it for the money.
“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.I recognise that there were other elements to the divorce settlement as well, but her donation of … $7m to charity is hardly the act one would expect of a gold-digger”.
Jenny Afia, Johnny Depp’s solicitor representing him in the case noted that the star will be appealing the verdict, explaining “The judgment is so flawed that it would be ridiculous for Mr Depp not to appeal this decision.” Although as The Guardian noted, it will be difficult for the star to appeal the decision, since the judge’s points in his ruling are similar to basis that a jury would go off in a crown court.
Johnny Depp is currently set to reprise his role as the Gellert Grindelwald in the upcoming third Fantastic Beasts movie. Meanwhile, Amber Heard is expected to return as Mera in the yet-to-be-titled Aquaman sequel. For now, fans can see Heard as Mera in Aquaman. Here’s the official synopsis for the movie:
From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an acition-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be… a king.
Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Orm / Ocean Master, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Ludi Lin as Captain Murk, and Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry.
Aquaman is available on Digital HD, 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD. Stay tuned for all the latest news on Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more video content!
Source: The Guardian
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