Johnny Depp has lost his libel case against British tabloid The Sun and its executive editor Dan Wootton, several months after he and his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, testified in a series of court hearings. After reviewing 14 allegations of abuse, evidenced by Heard’s own testimony, a London court has ruled that the publication’s use of the phrase “wife-beater†in an April 2018 article describing Depp’s former relationship with Heard was “substantially true,†concluding that “Mr. Depp did assault Ms. Heard,†per Deadline. “The Claimant has not succeeded in his action for libel,†the judge said in a virtual hearing. “Although he has proved the necessary elements of his cause of action in libel, the Defendants have shown that what they published in the meaning which I have held the words to bear was substantially true.†Following the decision, Heard’s representatives were confident in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. “For those of us present for the London High Court trial, this decision and judgment are not a surprise,â€Â Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, Heard’s U.S. attorney told ET. “Very soon, we will be presenting even more voluminous evidence in the U.S. We are committed to obtaining justice for Amber Heard in the U.S. Court and defending Ms. Heard’s Right to Free Speech.â€
Depp sued publisher of The Sun, News Group Newspapers and Wootton for an article describing him as a “wife-beater†and claiming the 57-year-old abused Heard, 34, during their marriage from 2015 to 2017. The Fantastic Beasts actor strongly denies the allegations. In July, both parties gave testimony to the British High Court, with Heard saying she was often afraid for her life. “When Johnny puts his attention on you, with all his intensity and darkness, it is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,†she said at the time. “When I say he was dark, he had a violent and dark way of speaking: the way he talked about our relationship being ‘dead or alive’ and telling me that death was the only way out of the relationship.â€