Hey y’all, it’s Emile Ennis Jr. with Clevver News, and Johnny Depp just suffered a major
loss in his libel case against a UK media outlet after attempting to clear his name
of allegations claiming he abused his ex-wife Amber Heard.
In case you forgot, Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard are currently in the midst of
an ongoing legal battle following allegations of domestic violence based on evidence Amber
submitted following their divorce in 2016.
A year after the divorce was finalized in 2017, Amber wrote an op-ed for The Washington
Post where she spoke about the treatment of women in domestic violence abuse cases, stating
QUOTE, “I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force
of our culture's wrath for women who speak out.”
And before we continue on with this news update, I just wanted to issue a trigger warning as
we will be discussing very heavy topics including physical assault and domestic violence, so
please only continue watching if you feel comfortable doing so.
Regarding the Washington Post article, although she never mentioned Johnny by name, Johnny,
in turn, sued Amber for $50 million for defamation, denying that he ever abused her, and allegedly
claimed that Amber “is not a victim of domestic abuse, she is a perpetrator.”
He also claimed that Amber’s allegations were part of an “elaborate hoax to generate
positive publicity” for herself.
In Amber’s follow-up court filing that attempted to dismiss Johnny’s defamation lawsuit,
she detailed multiple accounts of alleged abuse that she claimed occurred during their
marriage, and even referred to Johnny as “the Monster.”
Photo evidence sent in by Amber allegedly revealed bruising on her face around her eye,
as she also reported that she still had scars on her arms and feet following an incident
where Johnny allegedly threw her through a ping pong table and dragged her through broken
glass.
She has also since filed her own counterclaims alleging defamation against Depp in the same
lawsuit.
The suit is still ongoing, but Johnny has since filed a libel lawsuit against UK tabloid
newspaper The Sun after they shared an article published in 2018 with the headline, “Gone
Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in
the new Fantastic Beasts film?”
The article still remains on The Sun’s website, however, ‘wife beater’ has been edited
out, most likely in response to the libel lawsuit Johnny filed against the tabloid.
In the lawsuit, Johnny sued The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers, as well as The Sun’s
executive editor Dan Wootton, over the article that called him a “wife beater” and claimed
that Johnny was violent toward Amber during their marriage.
This case went to trial earlier this year, with Amber being The Sun’s witness as she
shared evidence including photos, audio recordings and text messages alluding to multiple accounts
of physical abuse by Johnny… and it appears she was pretty convincing.
Earlier today, the court ruled in The Sun’s favor as Justice Andrew Nicol dismissed the
lawsuit, reportedly stating that the defendants proved that what they published “was substantially
true.”
Attorneys for News Group Newspapers argued that the article was based on “overwhelming
evidence” that Johnny had, in fact, assaulted Amber on multiple occasions during their marriage.
In his ruling, Nicol stated QUOTE, “I have found that the great majority of alleged assaults
of Ms. Heard by Mr. Depp have been proved to the civil standard.”
He added QUOTE, “I have reached these conclusions having examined in detail the 14 incidents
on which the defendants rely, as well as the overarching considerations which the claimant
submitted I should take into account.”
Not only does this defeat have potential to ruin Johnny’s career, but he may be forced
to pay millions of pounds in legal fees following his loss.
Aside from his libel lawsuit, the same judge who dismissed his case, also examined the
shocking claims that Amber defecated in the ex-couple’s bed, and stated that the mess
likely came from one of her pets.
Under a section of the ruling headlined “feces on the bed,” the judge said that the alleged
defecation was relevant because it QUOTE “led him to conclude that his marriage to Ms. Heard
could not continue” and sparked one of their many arguments.
Nicol’s ruling concluded QUOTE, “For what it is worth, I consider that it is unlikely
that Ms. Heard or one of her friends was responsible,” noting that this happened while Johnny was
away, which means “it was Ms. Heard who was likely to suffer from the feces on the
bed, not him.”
The judge also provided evidence that one of Amber’s dogs, Boo, “had an incomplete
mastery of her bowels after she had accidentally consumed some marijuana.”
Alright, so this is all a LOT to take in, I’m right there with you, but these losses
didn’t stop fans from chiming in on the outcome of Johnny’s lawsuit, and have even
began trending the #JusticeForJohnnyDepp on social media.
One user wrote, “Amber Heard winning the case is like saying ‘If you're a man, then
you can't be the victim of domestic violence,’ and that is fucked up on so many levels.
Johnny Depp deserves justice and Amber Heard should pay for what she did with him.”
Others are standing by Johnny, claiming that HE is the victim of domestic abuse, like this
fan who tweeted, “Dear men, your voice is important.
Your stories are important.
Your heartache and what you have been through is important.
YOU are important.
WE will NOT allow you to be silenced anymore.
#JusticeForJohnnyDepp #MenToo.”
And this person said, “I just got home from work to find out that Johnny Depp lost his
libel claim against The Scum and you wonder why male victims don’t come forward, an
absolute travesty in my opinion!”
Johnny nor Amber have yet to comment on the verdict, however, it’s probably best neither
party engages in any further public discussion as his defamation case in the United States
is still ongoing.
Should more details become available surrounding the case, we will do our best to keep you
updated.
To see why the White House reportedly called out Billie Eilish, click to the right to watch
another Clevver video.
Then be sure to let me know all your thoughts on Johnny’s libel lawsuit down here in the
comments, and if you think this should’ve been a win for him.
I’m your host Emile Ennis Jr., bye guys.