Will Johnny Depp win 'wife beater' libel? Judgment on article over troubled Amber Heard marriage out next week
Johnny Depp will know next Monday whether he has won his dramatic libel lawsuit against a newspaper which branded him a "wife beater." The 57-year-old Hollywood great sued News Group Newspapers, publishers of The Sun, as well as its executive editor Dan Wootton over an April 2018 article, the Daily Mail reported.
The article reportedly stated that Depp had been violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard, 34, and also questioned his casting in the 'Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them' franchise. Both the stars gave evidence against each other before Judge Andrew Nicol during a three-week hearing at London's High Court. The July case revealed shocking details about Depp and Heard's stormy private lives as the court heard allegations of severe domestic abuse, drug abuse, and extramarital affairs.
That said, the judgment in the 'Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd' case is set to be published online at 10 am next Monday. There will be no hearing at court owing to COVID-19 restrictions. As the trial of Depp's libel claim unfolded, it grabbed international headlines. Depp and Heard both attended hearings, which were marked with high drama over a 16-day period that saw the court hear evidence from both parties, their friends, relatives, as well as several former and current employees. Among the allegations were claims of brutal violence and other sensational revelations about their marriage, per the report.
Depp reportedly spent at least 20 hours in the witness stand over a period of five days, responding to thorough questioning about his lifestyle, including his use of alcohol and drugs, episodes of alleged violence, and his friendships with several famous faces including Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and composer Sir Elton John.
David Sherborne, the barrister representing Depp, told the court that his client's case was about vindication. "What is important to Mr Depp is clearing his name of these appalling allegations, expanded on as it has been over the last four years, as a result of which he has lost nothing less than everything, he would say," Sherborne explained. "When I say he has lost everything, to him obviously everything is his reputation. This is not about money, this is vindicating him."
On the other hand, Sasha Wass QC, representing NGN, said there was "no doubt that Mr Depp regularly and systematically abused his wife" and added that "the characterization that he is a wife-beater is entirely truthful."
The famous couple became close while filming 'The Rum Diary' in 2011 and tied the knot in February 2015. However, Heard filed for divorce just 15 months into the marriage. Addressing the court, Depp said he was never violent towards his former wife and that she was lying. Instead, he alleged that Heard had attacked him on several occasions - claiming he even lost the tip of a finger after she reportedly threw a vodka bottle at him during one of their vicious arguments.
Meanwhile, Heard alleged that Depp would often turn into a jealous alter ego -- referred to as "the monster" -- after abusing drugs and alcohol. She claimed he had often threatened to kill her and detailed at least 14 alleged instances of extreme violence in which she claimed the actor "choked, punched, slapped, head-butted, throttled and kicked her," per the Daily Mail.
Now, the judge will decide whether arguments made by The Sun were substantilly true and whether the article in consideration caused "serious harm" to Depp's reputation. Depp's lawyers have argued that if he wins, he would be "entitled to very substantial damages as only a substantial award can start to compensate him for the damage and distress the defendants' appalling allegations have had and 'nail the lie.'" There is a ceiling on general damages of between £300,000 and £325,000 ($391,000 to $423,600), Depp's lawyers said, but they argued he is also entitled to aggravated damages as The Sun's response to his claim had caused additional "harm, distress and need for vindication."