Blow for Johnny Depp: lost the trial against 'the Sun'
The newspaper had branded him a 'wife abuser'. The judge agreed with them.
Hollywood star Johnny Depp has lost his media lawsuit for libel against the group that owns the tabloid The Sun, which called him an "abuser", according to the verdict released this Monday by a British court, and that could potentially bring down his career .
As if it were a movie, this judicial war has had the adornments of a script: slander, scandals, celebrities and the consequent expectation of the most tabloid journalism.
The 57-year-old American actor filed a complaint against News Group Newspaper (NGN) - owner of the aforementioned newspaper - and its executive director, Dan Wootton, for an article published in 2018 that he considered defamatory. In it, the tabloid newspaper branded him a "wife abuser" in connection with his turbulent marriage to actress Amber Heard and provided inadmissible details about the performer.
(You can learn more about this process in this article: Johnny Depp vs. The Sun trial ends).
In his verdict, London High Court judge Andrew Nicol rejected the claim of the protagonist of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga on the grounds that NGN had shown that what was written in the article in question was "substantially true." The tabloid alluded to the "overwhelming evidence" about alleged assaults committed by Depp against his ex, accusations that he has always strongly denied.
The judge rules in favor of the tabloid
Although the plaintiff "has proven the necessary elements of his case in this libel case," the defendants - NGN and Wootton, explained the magistrate, have shown that what they published was "substantially true."
"I have come to these conclusions after having examined in detail the 14 incidents on which the defendants relied, as well as the overall considerations that the complainant presented," Nicol said.
Such was the media circus that originated around this litigation - which lasted three weeks last July - that the British press dubbed it the "greatest libel lawsuit of the 21st century", a process that at the same time generated a lot of expectation in the United States. .
Depp will appeal a 'perverse' opinion, which damages his career
Jenny Afia of the Schillings Law Firm - legal representatives of the
actor—, confirmed today in a statement that he intends to appeal the opinion by saying that "this decision is as perverse as it is disconcerting." For the lawyer, "the most disturbing thing is the trust that the judge places in Amber Heard's testimony and the corresponding contempt for the mountain of 'against evidence' by police officers, medical personnel, her own assistant, other witnesses to the that has not been consulted and a range of documentary evidence that completely undermines the allegations, point by point. "
The ruling has potentially serious consequences for Depp's reputation and career since, according to several public relations experts from this country today to local media, it is tremendously damaging to his image and future projects. For her part, Heard's US attorney, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, said in a statement that "this decision and ruling are not a surprise."
"Very soon we will present even more voluminous evidence in the United States," the lawyer said, adding that the actress' legal team is "committed to obtaining justice for Amber Heard in the United States courts and to defend Heard's right to freedom of speech ".
'The Sun' thanks Heard for her courage as a victim.
The Sun also reacted to the court decision in another note, where it recalls that this newspaper "has defended and campaigned for victims of domestic abuse for more than 20 years." Those victims, he continues, "should never be silenced" and thanked the judge for "their careful consideration", as well as "Amber Heard's courage to testify before the Court."
During this legal battle, both the interpreter and Heard, 34, as well as friends and family of the ex-partner, appeared at the hearings, where both parties revealed lurid details of their stormy relationship. The actor spent in London court around a total of 20 hours during the five days in which he had to appear and where he was questioned about his lifestyle, his alleged abuse of alcohol and drugs and the attacks against Heard.
Depp will appeal a 'perverse' opinion, which damages her career
Jenny Afia of the Schillings Law Firm - legal representatives of the
actor—, confirmed today in a statement that he intends to appeal the opinion by saying that "this decision is as perverse as it is disconcerting." For the lawyer, "the most disturbing thing is the trust that the judge places in Amber Heard's testimony and the corresponding contempt for the mountain of 'against evidence' by police officers, medical personnel, her own.
