Depp done for – domestic violence victim Amber Heard and The Sun triumph in libel case

After an extraordinary 16-day trial, Johnny Depp, 57, has lost his libel case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, 34, and The Sun newspaper.

It all dates back to The Sun publishing an article describing the filmstar Depp as a “wife beater” in April 2018, a label Depp denied, causing him to sue The Sun’s publishing group – News Group Newspapers Ltd – and the newspaper’s Executive Editor, Dan Wootton, for libel.

Today, Judge Mr Justice Nicol said that The Sun’s comments had proven to be “substantially” true based on 14 incidents of domestic violence as described by Heard: “I have found that the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms Heard by Mr Depp have been proved to the civil standard,” he said.

The court heard details about the toxic relationship between the two, who were married in 2015 and later split in 2016; Depp’s drinking, drug taking and extravagant lifestyle (spending £23k per month on red wine) are believed to have taken their toll on the relationship.

The case had caused controversy, with Depp claiming that he had himself been on the receiving end of domestic abuse. The controversy split fans of the couple, with some supporting Depp and others taking the side of Heard.

It was all pretty gruesome, and thus attracted huge media attention. In one of the 14 incidents described, Depp accused Heard of defecating in his bed (she said it was the dog), and another left Depp without his fingertip (he claims she threw a glass bottle which sliced his finger; she claims he cut it smashing things against the wall). Depp admitted to graffitiing their house with his blood afterwards.

Following the verdict, a spokesperson for The Sun said: “The Sun has stood up and campaigned for the victims of domestic abuse for over 20 years. Domestic abuse victims must never be silenced and we thank the judge for his careful consideration and thank Amber Heard for her courage in giving evidence to the court.”

The verdict, however, has divided opinion. Lisa King, director of communications at the domestic violence charity Refuge said: “What we have seen today is that power, fame and financial resources cannot be used to silence women. That is a welcome message for survivors of domestic abuse around the world.”

Others on social media claimed that the ruling marks a shift in social perception around domestic violence and victim-blaming.

The top trending topic on Twitter in the UK this morning was #JusticeForJohnnyDepp. Fans took to the social media platform to defend the actor, saying Heard had fabricated and manipulated the truth, and that it was in fact Depp who was the real victim of domestic abuse. Earlier in the year, the Daily Mail leaked audio clips of Heard admitting to having “hit” her then husband. Many using the hashtag believe stigma around male domestic abuse meant Depp wasn’t believed by the High Court.

The case was, of course, only looking into the accuracy of the label “wife beater” in regard to Depp and did not investigate any evidence of domestic abuse from Heard.

There is more legal turmoil to come. Depp is also suing Heard for $50million in a separate US case after she wrote an op-ed for Huffington Post about being a domestic abuse survivor. Heard is counter-suing him for $100 million, so this definitely won’t be the last we hear about the couple’s relationship.

The story is attracting so much attention online because of the fame of the main character, Depp, obviously. But it’s also a reflection of the appetite right now for any news that has nothing to do with Covid or the American election. And it’s a welcome  indication that the abuse of women and personal cruelty that was the hallmark of Hollywood for decades behind the scenes is now up for scrutiny.