Actor Johnny Depp has lost his libel case against his ex-wife Amber Heard and British Tabloid The Sun, though Depp’s lawyers say they will appeal the judge’s decision.
The Daily Mail reported that London’s High Court Justice Andrew Nicol branded Depp “a monster” who beat Heard on 12 of the 14 times she alleged the movie star attacked her. The judge accepted allegations that Depp became that “monster” when he drank and did drugs.
Depp’s attorneys called the ruling “perverse” and “bewildering,” pointing out the mountain of evidence the judge appeared to have ignored in arriving at his decision.
“Most troubling is the Judge’s reliance on the testimony of Amber Heard, and corresponding disregard of the mountain of counter-evidence from police officers, medical practitioners, her own former assistant, other unchallenged witnesses and an array of documentary evidence which completely undermined the allegations, point by point. All of this was overlooked,” said attorney Jenny Afia. “The judgment is so flawed that it would be ridiculous for Mr. Depp not to appeal this decision.”
Among that “mountain” of evidence, The Daily Wire previously reported, was surveillance videos, eyewitness statements, audio, photos, and more showing that Depp was the real victim.
“One of the testimonies comes from Trinity Esparza, who was the concierge at the penthouse where Heard claims Depp hit her in the face. Esparza now questions how Heard received the mark on her face she claimed was from Depp, after reviewing surveillance footage from three days later, when Heard’s sister Whitney pretended to punch her in the face, according to court documents,” The Daily Wire reported.
Further, evidence suggested Heard attacked Depp while the actor was in bed and staged the attacks she claimed he committed.
“Unaware that members of Mr. Depp’s security team (including an 18-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department) were mere feet away, Ms. Heard falsely began yelling, ‘Stop hitting me, Johnny,’” Depp alleged in court documents. “The interaction culminated with Ms. Heard making false allegations that Mr. Depp struck her with a cell phone, hit her and destroyed the penthouse. There were multiple eyewitnesses to this hoax.”
Further, Depp’s attorneys presented audio of Heard admitting to hitting the “Pirates of Caribbean” actor.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t, uh, uh, hit you across the face in a proper slap, but I was hitting you, it was not punching you. Babe, you’re not punched,” Heard tells Depp in the recording. “I don’t know what the motion of my actual hand was, but you’re fine. I did not hurt you. I did not punch you. I was hitting you.”
In addition, several of Depp’s ex-wives, girlfriends, and former co-stars came to his defense, saying he was not abusive and never had been.
Depp always faced an uphill battle, as he would have to prove he didn’t hit Heard in a country that adheres more stringently to “believe women” than even America. The judge did suggest Depp didn’t attack Heard in two of the situations she claimed, but that apparently wasn’t enough to cast doubt on the rest of her claims.
As a result of the decision, Depp has now been branded a wife beater and has already lost his role in the Harry Potter spin-off “Fantastic Beasts.”