Johnny Depp lost his request to appeal a defamation decision from the British court that sided with the Sun newspaper that called him “wife beater”. In a Thursday decision, the Royal Court of Appeal in London ruled against Depp – essentially agreeing that there was sufficient evidence that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor had actually beaten his ex-wife Amber Heard, as she claimed.
The 57-year-old actor argued that he had not received a fair trial in his original unsuccessful civil suit against the newspaper and that he had new evidence, including allegations that Heard lied about donating the $ 7 million divorce settlement to charity.
The original court’s decision said that the Sun The article labeling the actor as an abusive husband was “substantially true” and that there was “overwhelming evidence” that he frequently attacked his 34-year-old wife.
Heard and Depp resolved the divorce out of court and Depp was never criminally charged, despite Heard detailing how she feared for her life and how Depp once cut off a piece of his finger and wrote it in blood on the wall during a fight. Depp says Heard was abusive and that his finger was cut off when she threw a bottle of whiskey at him during a furious confrontation.
The bloody details of Depp and Head’s clearly tumultuous relationship have become tabloid fodder since they split up in 2016 amid allegations of attacks on Depp’s alcohol and drugs that included frequent beatings and even a hostage situation in Australia when she claimed that Depp kept her hidden for three days. Depp in his defense has always claimed that Heard was the aggressor, and that he often hid from her or said what she wanted to hear to calm her down and avoid her tantrums.
The British court supported Heard’s account of the events and ruled that it was right for the British newspaper to label the actor as a wife beater. “We declined Depp’s request to admit more evidence in support of his proposed appeal and concluded that the appeal has no real prospect of success and that there is no other compelling reason for it to be heard,” the court ruled on Thursday. “We therefore refuse to be allowed to appeal.”
The judges also wrote in their decision that they “do not believe the judge would have reached a different conclusion if it had been established before him that Mrs. Heard gave a misleading impression about how much of the $ 7 million she said she had donated to charity. had actually been paid. ”
Heard’s spokesman told the Guardian who were satisfied “but not at all surprised” by the court’s decision. “The evidence presented in the UK case was overwhelming and undeniable,” said the spokesman. “To reiterate, the original verdict was that Mr. Depp committed domestic violence against Amber on at least 12 occasions and she was afraid of her life.”
THE Sun The newspaper, which had the most to lose in the appeal, also expressed satisfaction with the decision against Depp. “THE Sun had every confidence that this request for authorization to appeal would not be granted and is satisfied with today’s decision, ”the Sun said in a statement. “The case had a full, fair and adequate hearing, and today’s decision justifies the courageous evidence that Amber Heard gave the court on domestic violence, despite repeated attempts to undermine and silence it by the perpetrator. THE Sun will continue to stand up and campaign for the victims of domestic violence ”.