Johnny Depp Move To Court To Overturn High Court Libel Judgment That He Assaulted Amber Heard

Johnny Depp has reportedly applied to the UK Court Of Appeal, in a move against a High Court verdict last month, that he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard. The Fantastic Beasts actor sued a publisher in the UK, The Sun, for libel after a 2018 column referred to him as a “wife beater” in a headline.

The Pirates Of The Caribbean actor lost a high-profile suit against the paper’s parent company, News Group Newspapers (NGN), which had claimed to have presented “overwhelming evidence” that Depp attacked the 34-year-old actress Heard during their relationship, the Guardian reported. In November, ruling on the lawsuit, a High Court judge had said the article was “substantially true.” Following the 57-year-old actor had to pay NGN S$1.1 million in legal costs from the High Court battle earlier this year. The court ruled that Depp put Heard "in fear for her life."

He parted ways with the Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts franchise during this domestic violence lawsuit. Depp played the role of Grindelwald in the first two films of the series, a spin-off based on JK Rowling’s Harry Potter universe.

In his application, Depp is seeking to quash allegations made by his ex-wife, Aquaman actress Amber Heard. This move came after the judge refused Depp permission to appeal against a British court’s ruling that found him guilty of assault. The judge said, “I do not consider that the proposed grounds of appeal have a reasonable prospect of success.”

Depp's lawyer, however, called the ruling "as perverse as it is bewildering" and that it would be "ridiculous" for him not to try to overturn it. Depp is also suing Heard for $50 million in Virginia over a Washington Post op-ed essay that she wrote about domestic violence. In the article, without naming Depp, she opened up and revealed that she was abused. The trial is due to be held next year.

Also Read: After Johnny Depp Loses “Wife Beater” Lawsuit, Mads Mikkelsen Replacing Him In Fantastic Beasts 3

Feature Image Credit: NCB News

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