Lawsuit lost against the Sun: Johnny Depp's appeal dismissed
British justice on Wednesday rejected Hollywood star Johnny Depp's request to appeal after losing his libel case against British tabloid The Sun, which described him as an abusive husband to Amber Heard.
This decision is not final, however: the American actor has until December 7 to apply directly to the court of appeal. "I refused the complainant leave to appeal," said Judge Andrew Nicol. "I do not consider the grounds of appeal raised to have a reasonable prospect of success, and there is no other compelling reason why the appeal should be granted."
In early November, the "Edward in the Silver Hands" and "Pirate of the Caribbean" actor lost his libel case against News Group Newspapers (NGN), a publisher of the Sun, who called him a "hitter. women".
The ax fell after three weeks of hearings in July at the High Court in London, often attended by the 57-year-old comedian and his ex-wife Amber Heard, 34, which had resulted in a spill of revelations gloomy about their private life.
Drug addiction, accusations of deception and even excrement found in the marital bed had been discussed, fueling the tabloids. Relying mainly on the statements of the actress, the Sun had invoked 14 episodes of violence, all disputed by Johnny Depp.
In early November, Judge Nicol had ruled in favor of the tabloid, saying in his first judgment that the Sun's qualifications were "substantially true" because "the vast majority of the alleged assaults have been proven".
On Wednesday, the same judge also ordered Johnny Depp to pay a little more than 628,000 pounds (705,000 euros) to the Sun to cover his legal costs.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met on the set of "Rum Express" in 2011, before getting married in February 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
The couple had divorced with a bang in early 2017. The actress of "Danish Girl" and "Aquaman" then spoke of "years" of "physical and psychological" violence, accusations strongly rejected by Johnny Depp.
