"Women's hitter": Johnny Depp loses his lawsuit against "The Sun", but will appeal
Hard blow for Johnny Depp. The American actor lost Monday his libel case against the British tabloid The Sun, which had described him as an abusive husband towards the actress Amber Heard. Judge Andrew Nicol's decision is a blow to the reputation of the actor of Edward at the hands of Silver and Pirates of the Caribbean. After 35 years of career, the latter had taken big risks by attacking News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher of the daily newspaper which had qualified it as a “batter of women”. In the wake of the announcement of the verdict, the lawyers of the actor announced that the latter intended to appeal this judgment. "This decision is as perverse as it is disconcerting," defenders of the star said in a statement, adding: "The judgment is so flawed that it would be ludicrous if Mr. Depp did not appeal this decision. "
The three-week trial in July at the High Court in London, often in the presence of the 57-year-old comedian and his ex-wife Amber Heard (and their respective fans), resulted in a spill of gloomy revelations about their private life. Drug addiction, accusations of deception and even excrement found in the marital bed were discussed, fueling some of the tabloids. Relying mainly on the statements of the actress, the Sun had invoked 14 episodes of violence, all disputed by Johnny Depp.
"Victims of domestic violence should never have to be silent"
After having “examined in detail” 14 episodes, Judge Nicol found in his judgment that the Sun's qualifications were “substantially true”. "Victims of domestic violence should never have to be silent," responded a spokesperson for the Sun, thanking the judge and the actress "for his courage to testify in court." "This decision and this judgment are not a surprise", reacted the lawyers of the actress of 34 years, who had the status of witness at the trial, saying to want "to obtain justice" in another procedure underway in the United States. .
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met on the set of Rum Express in 2011, before tying the knot 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. During the trial, the lawyer for the daily, Sasha Wass, had crushed the excesses of the actor, "subject to irrational mood swings" when he drank and consumed narcotics.
Johnny Depp supported by Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder
The American actor has admitted abuse of drugs and alcohol, but claims to have never raised a hand on a woman, supported on this point by the written testimonies of his ex-companions Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder, the singer French woman describing him in a testimony versed in the proceedings as "a man and a kind, attentive, generous and non-violent father". Johnny Depp accused Amber Heard of violence in return.
In his plea, the actor's lawyer, David Sherborne, had asked the judge to "wash the name" of Johnny Depp of these "scandalous accusations" and "false" which led him to initiate this "painful" trial. . His lawyer has methodically pointed out flaws and modifications in Amber Heard's statements, to discredit the whole story of what he described as a "compulsive liar". Amber Heard has meanwhile maintained her statements and lamented that the "most traumatic and intimate details" of her life with Johnny Depp were exposed in court and "broadcast around the world". "I loved him and I didn't want to lose that (…), his other face was that of a monster, but I always kept the hope that he would detoxify himself", declared during the trial the actress. .
