Johnny Depp couldn't clean up his reputation at the London Court
Tuesday 3 November 2020. Johnny Depp lost his libel suit against the British newspaper The Sun in the courts of the Court of London.
The publication, known for its sensational reporting, described the American actor as a wife beater in a 2018 article signed by executive editor Dan Wooton.
The lawsuit with which the protagonist of The Scissorhands Man tried to clear his name was dismissed by a judge, indicating that the defendants (The Sun and News Group Newspapers) have shown that what they published in the sense in which I understood the words was substantially true.
During what has been one of the most followed defamation cases of the century, Depp has had to give details about his life, such as his relationship with his ex-wife, Amber Heard, as well as the accusations of assault against the actress. The actor's lawyers indicated that they would most likely appeal against the perverse and perplexing decision.
They question the judge
Jenny Afia of the law firm representing Depp questioned the judge's reliance on Heard's testimony and the corresponding disregard for the mountain of evidence to the contrary from police officers, medical practitioners, his former assistant, witnesses and a host of others. documents that undermine accusations point by point. All of that was overlooked.
In the 129-page ruling, the judge also indicates that he accepts that Heard's accusations of Depp have had a negative effect on her acting and activist career. He adds: I have found that the vast majority of Depp's alleged assaults on the lady have been proven to civil standards.
During the hearing, the actress explained that she feared Depp might kill her, either on purpose or by losing control and going too far. She also noted that the actor would blame the outbursts on a character created by herself whom she called the monster. Johnny denied being violent and alleged that she had fabricated a folder of false accusations as an after-life insurance policy.
As the case escalated, so did the allegations. Depp accused Heard, or one of her friends, of having defecated in her bed; the Court was informed that he had named her Amber Turd (Amber Caca). After that incident, the phrase became a trend on Twitter.
Depp's drug use also came to light. The actor admitted to using marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, mushrooms, and prescription drugs for years. From then on that was a frequent topic in the courts. It was also mentioned that Johnny had been enraged with jealousy in 2013, when a friend of Amber touched him. On his turn, the actor admitted that he had been drinking and taking mushrooms, but alleged that the actress's friend was also under the influence of drugs.
Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder, Depp's former partners, were called to testify about her character. Although they never attended court, their statements circulated on social media and media. Both claimed that the actor had never abused them.
Confronted with images of Amber Heard's bruised face, Depp accepted that he may have tried to grab her and hit her on the head by accident. He also said that he contracted an infection after surgery for a finger that he said he had lost when the actress threw a bottle of vodka at him.
Violent and aggressive
Various statements from Depp's friends and employees emerged, some to assure her innocence and others that portrayed Heard as violent and aggressive. A janitor stated that Amber had been secretly meeting with billionaire Elon Musk, with whom Johnny had pointed out that his then-wife was having an affair.
Amber, meanwhile, maintained that the actor had threatened to kill her several times. She agreed to hit him once, for fear that he might have pushed her sister down the stairs. She also denied Depp's allegations. She alleged that she had mutilated her finger herself, that she had not defecated in her bed and that she was not having an affair with Musk. Meanwhile, The Sun said there was no doubt, the actor regularly and systematically abused his wife.
The court's decision was published yesterday, more than three months after the courts ended the hearings, at the end of July. I have reached these conclusions after examining in detail the 14 incidents on which the defendants rely, as well as the general considerations presented by the plaintiff and which I must take into account. In those circumstances, parliament has said that a defendant has a full defense.
On the day of the verdict, The Sun newspaper ran the story with a head calling Depp a handcuff beater again.
