Johnny Depp Loses Libel Battle Against The Sun As Judge Declares Amber Heard Was Not A 'Gold-Digger'

In April 2018 The Sun newspaper wrote an article claiming US film star Johnny Depp had beaten his wife Amber Heard. Depp sued The Sun’s owners and the author of the article, claiming it wrongly portrayed him as being guilty of domestic violence.

Hollywood star Johnny Depp has lost a defamation lawsuit against News Group Newspapers (NGN) - owned by Rupert Murdoch - and Executive Editor Dan Wootton over an article based on allegations by his film star wife Amber Heard.
Depp, 57, has always denied the allegations, which were made during the couple’s 2016 divorce.
Mr Justice Andrew Nicol, who heard 16 days of evidence at the High Court in London in July, has ruled against him.
In his ruling, the judge said The Sun had acted fairly and had not acted out of "malice" and he said he did not accept the characterisation of Amber Heard as "nothing more than a gold-digger." 

Par 588 "The Claimant has not succeeded in his action for libel. 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."

— Nick Wallis (@nickwallis) November 2, 2020

Depp sued NGN and The Sun’s executive editor Dan Wootton over an article he wrote on 27 April 2018, which was headlined "Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?"

Having lost, Depp will have to pay The Sun's legal costs, as well as his own, a bill which could be up to £3 million.

He may now also be forced to drop a US$50 million libel case against Ms Heard in the US over an article she wrote in the Washington Post. 

Heard's lawyer, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, said: "For those of us present for the London High Court trial, this decision and judgment are not a surprise."

He said: "I do not accept that Ms Heard was responsible for the injury to Mr Depp’s finger. The first account appears to have been in Mr Depp's text to Dr Kipper. It is notable in that text that he says he cut his finger, not that she cut it. Mr Connolly said that Mr Depp told him on his arrival that Ms Heard had caused the injury

to his finger, but that is not what Mr Depp said in his text to Dr Kipper. Nor did Mr Depp say that Ms Heard had been responsible for the injury to his finger in either of his two texts to sister Christi on 8 March 2015."