Johnny Depp won the defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. And a petition has now been launched in regards to the UK case which he lost against The Sun.
The petition involves giving Depp the right to appeal the UK ruling against The Sun.
Keep scrolling to learn more…
Johnny Depp, who has been renowned in Hollywood since the 1990s, has been embroiled in a highly publicized domestic abuse scandal with his ex-girlfriend, Amber Heard, for the last 5 years.
At first, this coupling seemed to be the start of a promising relationship…
After meeting on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011, the actor started dating Texan actress and model, Amber Heard, shortly after calling it quits with his long-term partner, Vanessa Paradis.
They announced their engagement in 2014…
And, not ones to waste any time, they hastily tied the knot just one year later in February 2015.
However, it was here when things started to go a little ship-shaped.
Their honeymoon period was rather short-lived as, just months after their marriage, Depp reportedly suffered a hand injury as a result of “smashing bottles and windows” during a heated argument with his wife.
For the next year, various reports of abuse between the pair continued to surface…
So it came as no shock when Heard filed for divorce in March 2016, just fifteen months after the couple had initially exchanged their “I do”s.
At first, the divorce seemed unsuspicious…
Many news outlets reported that Heard had cited “irreconcilable differences” while filing the divorce petition.
But, only a few months into their separation…
Heard filed a restraining order against Depp, claiming that he had previously assaulted her.
It was a big allegation to make…
So people were confused when Heard retracted her allegations just one day before the hearing was due to be held.
But this didn’t stop the world from turning against Depp.
Heard had alleged that the actor had hit her on several occasions, and even provided video footage of him flinging a glass of wine across the room in a fit of rage.
And, in 2018, the actress penned an article for The Washington Post where she opened up about her experience with domestic abuse and violence.
Though she didn’t explicitly name Depp in her op-ed, she did allude to the time period when, “two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.”
There was an outpour of support for Heard…
Who was even made the American Civil Liberties Union’s “Ambassador for Women’s Issues.”
And, despite profusely denying all the allegations against him…
Depp found his career taking a hit as a result of the ongoing scandal.
Fewer and fewer directors were hiring Depp for roles…
And his appearance in J.K Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, was heavily criticized.
And, in 2018, he was dropped from his iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
In a career-shattering announcement just 4 days after Heard’s damning article, Disney announced that the actor would no longer be a part of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Though they didn’t directly cite Heard’s abuse allegations…
It was widely assumed that Disney, who has earned over $4.5 billion at the box office from the Pirates franchise, was trying to distance themselves from the actor and the scandal surrounding him.
But then, there was a sudden change in events.
Depp filed a $50-million defamation case against Heard and presented evidence that he was the one on the receiving end of the abuse, not the other way around.
Shockingly, the actor alleged that he was the victim all along.
Depp’s defamation lawsuit read: “The op-ed [Heard’s article] depended on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her.”
The lawsuit also stated that all of Heard’s claims were “categorically and demonstrably false”…
And listed down incidents of Heard’s alleged abuse since the start of their marriage, including punching and kicking, as well as staging her attacks.
The allegations are difficult to read.
“She hit, punched, and kicked me. She also repeatedly and frequently threw objects into my body and head, including heavy bottles, soda cans, burning candles, television remote controls, and paint thinner cans, which severely injured me.” His lawsuit read.
And, to tarnish the actress’ reputation and credibility even further…
Audio obtained by the Daily Mail was released that heard her admitting to attacking Depp.
As per the audio clip, she could also be heard taunting him…
“You are such a baby. Grow the f*** up, Johnny. You poke an animal enough, it is eventually, it doesn’t matter how friendly it is, it’s not cool,” Heard can be heard saying.
The case was grueling…
Depp then went to court for his libel case against The Sun newspaper – whom he is suing over a 2018 article in which he was described as a “wife-beater.”
The pair were in court as part of the 3-week long trial.
While in court, both parties played pretty dirty, revealing compromising photographs of each other which have blown everything out of the water, yet again. And of course with the evidence came more allegations.
Of course, this massive loss was terrible for the actor’s name…
But he isn’t giving up his fight.
Depp and his legal team were determined to prove that the pictures Heard shared in the case were forged…
To make it look like he was repeatedly abusing her, when in fact, according to Depp it was the other way around.
As per Page Six, lawyers working on the case claim that Heard altered photos making her appear to have 2 black eyes…
Alleging she was attacked by him in 2015.
Depp’s lawyer, Benjamin Chew claimed: “Ms. Heard’s counsel has repeatedly used these phony photographs at deposition.”
He also shared that he believes the LA Police Department “disavowed the photographs” that were previously given to the court and “did not depict what they saw.”
Chew revealed that the LAPD “found no injury upon Ms. Heard and no disruption to the penthouses” upon inspection…
“Ms. Heard and her friends then fabricated photos that she used to obtain an ex parte TRO [temporary restraining order] and a $7 million divorce settlement which Ms. Heard falsely testified in London she gave to the ACLU and, more scandalously, to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles; sick children with cancer,” he added.
Chew concluded that someone “doctored those photographs.”
“So, Ms. Heard or someone on her behalf doctored those photographs three years later. When that came up in her testimony in London, Ms. Heard falsely denied it. In short, Your Honour, without forensic imaging Mr Neumeister cannot properly assess or verify Ms. Heard’s data,” Chew added.
Since Chew exposed Heard’s alleged false claims, the court has granted Depp and his lawyers access to her phone records…
They will also be analyzed by Brian Neumeister, who is a tech expert.
And, we’ve seen some huge celebrity names in the defamation case between the two actors.
But, it’s not the first time that some of the names have been a part of the escalating battle.
Two of the celebrities involved, have in fact been accused of being tangled up in an affair with Heard in the past…
While she was with Depp.
The celebrities called to testify, who were accused of affairs with the Aquaman actress, are James Franco and Elon Musk.
Both celebrity figures will be testifying for Amber Heard.
But, they’re not the only huge Hollywood names in the lawsuit.
There are many more who have been dragged into the defamation case, too.
Paul Bettany will be a witness for Depp.
And, according to Cinemablend, Heard’s legal team will use Bettany’s texts with Depp against them, displaying violent language targeted at Heard.
Heard’s exhibit list includes names we’re all familiar with…
There will be text messages and email conversations between Heard, Jason Momoa, and James Wan, as per the news outlet.
There are also emails logged from author JK Rowling and guitarist Jack White.
Who else is involved?
Ellen Barkin, an American actress, will be on Heard’s witness list, and she has spoken up about Heard’s allegations in the past.
“Amber Heard was never enough of a victim,” she wrote.
“And we never will be… Unless we’re dead,” she continued.
Depp is suing Heard for defamation, claiming that his reputation has been tarnished because of the things she has said during their battle.
And Heard is countersuing him, which is why so many big names have been dragged into the case, as well.
Now, since the case began, a lot of people have taken to the stand…
And on April 19th, it was Depp’s turn.
Depp took to the stand where he discussed standing up for his children and denied striking Heard in any way.
And people rallied in support of the actor.
Depp took to the stand at Fairfax County courthouse where he described Heard’s claims as “heinous and disturbing,” LADbible reports.
He said that her allegations were “criminal acts against me that were not based in any species of truth.”
Depp went on to deny striking Heard and any woman in his life.
“Never did I myself reach the point of striking Miss Heard in anyway, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life,” he told the court. “Since I knew there was no truth to it whatsoever, I felt it my responsibility to stand up, not only for myself in that instance, but stand up for my children.”
Depp then further detailed the affect that the allegations had on his children.
“I thought it was diabolical that my children would have to go to school and have their friends or people in the school approach them with the infamous People Magazine cover with Miss Heard with a dark bruise on her face,” he said.
Describing himself as a “very private person,” the actor said that for him “to come up here and sit before you all and spill the truth is quite exposing, and it’s unfortunate that it’s not only exposing for myself, it’s exposing for my family, it’s exposing for Miss Heard, it never had to go in this direction.”
He also added that his goal is “the truth” and that he isn’t embarrassed because “I know I’m doing the right thing.”
More was then revealed about his time spent with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
There have been admissions about his severed finger, audio recordings of fights, and text messages revealing horrific desires.
On his fourth and final day on the stand on April 25, Depp was first questioned by his own lawyer and then further cross-examined by Heard’s legal team.
And after being accused by Heard’s legal team, he mentioned her role in Aquaman.
Heard’s legal team questioned Depp about text messages previously sent between Depp and Heard which saw him tell Heard to take “no meetings” or “movies.”
According to UNILAD, the messages saw Heard write: “I’m at a coffee meeting now, will be home soon.”
Responding to Heard, Depp wrote: “No goddamn meetings. No movies. Why? Why do you deviate from our agreement? What species of meeting? F*** it. Just tell me when you get home.”
Heard’s attorney read the message exchange to the court while implying that Depp didn’t want Heard to take the meeting spoke about in the messages.
The attorney asked Depp: “You didn’t want her to take the meeting that she was taking that day, correct?”
However, Depp argued against the attorney as he claimed it wasn’t about “her doing films,” but simply about an agreement they had.
“It seems as though we had an agreement to do something together,” he said the outlet reports. “I’m actually asking what species of meeting.”
Depp continued to say that it was “not necessarily an angry text,” just one that questions “why do you deviate from our agreement.”
Depp then had a question to ask the attorney as he said: “It’s not about her doing films. How do you think she got Aquaman, sir?”
Heard starred in Aquaman back in 2018.
Heard took to the stand again.
She brought up how the trial with Depp has affected not only her career but her mental health too.
Heard could be seen crying as she explained that she has been receiving death threats.
Allegedly receiving hundreds daily from Depp fans who don’t agree with what she’s been saying.
One person took to Facebook to respond to her recent outburst to say:
“Then she should have never lied about all this. She did this to herself. An gets what she deserves.”
Another commented: “If she is so threatened and scared why is she always smiling and laughing through this trial.”
Heard also bashed Depp saying that he wasn’t doing anything to stop the abuse she’s been receiving from his fans.
She claims she’s been “harassed, humiliated, threatened every single day” since the defamation trial began.
“People want to kill me and they tell me so every day,” Heard said.
“People want to put my baby in the microwave.”
Depp’s lawyer, Camile Vasquez, then spoke of Heard’s alleged lies during the cross-examination yesterday.
Vasquez has said that Heard’s “lies have been exposed to the world.”
Vasquez looked on at Heard as she questioned her testimony.
“Your lies have been exposed to the world multiple times?” Vasquez asked, as per the Daily Mail.
“I haven’t lied about anything,” Heard responded, looking at the Jury.
“When you told this jury you punched Mr. Depp because you thought of Mr. Depp pushing Kate Moss down the stairs, you didn’t expect Miss Moss to testify that never happened?” Vasquez then grilled Heard, for the actress to shoot back and say that she knew that people would “come out of the woodwork” to support the actor.
“Incorrect, I knew how many people will come out of the woodwork to support Johnny,” she said.
“Everybody who was around in the 90s and early aughts knew that rumor. I had heard that rumor from multiple people. Of course, that’s what flashed through my head when my violent husband not only swung for me but all of a sudden swung for my sister.
“Of course, I thought of that. I did not expect her to show up or expect her to show up, it did not matter, it did not change what I thought on the stairs when I thought he was going to kill my sister,” she continued.
But, Vasquez, who many people have praised as being a “fantastic” lawyer, didn’t stop there. She asked Heard why so many other people came to testify on behalf of Depp.
People who testified on behalf of Depp included; Isaac Baruch, Morgan Knight, LAPD officers Tyler Hadden and William Gatlin, Shannon Curry, Kate Moss, and others.
“I know how many people will come out and say whatever for him. That’s his power. That’s why I wrote that op-ed. He is a very powerful man and people love currying favor with powerful men,” Heard said of the people who testified against her allegations.
She also said that people would “say a lot of things to be involved in the Johnny Depp show.”
And in the final few days before the trial comes to an end, Heard’s lawyers have tried all they can to prove that Depp is a violent man.
They brought up a comment he allegedly made to Premiere magazine, in 1995, in which they claim Depp said: “I have a lot of love in me and a lot of anger inside me as well. If I love somebody, then I’m gonna love ’em. If I’m angry and I’ve got to lash out or hit somebody, I’m going to do it. And I don’t care what the repercussions are. Anger. Doesn’t pay rent. It’s gotta go. It’s gotta be evicted.”
At first Depp dismissed the comment, then said “he might have said that in reference to paparazzi.”
Although he “did not confirm whether he did, in fact, make that statement,” as per Insider.
People online were shocked by Heard’s legal team’s comments…
One tweeted: “This is unbelievable… that they would stoop this low!”
Another commented:
“Digging up things he said 27 yrs ago is really grasping for straws. And it has nothing to do with anything regarding this trial.”
Camille Vasquez has also taken a personal shot at Amber Heard.
Addressing the jury in the Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom, Vasquez said: “You may have noticed that no one showed up for Ms. Heard in this courtroom other than her sister. Every other witness who traveled to Virginia for her was a paid expert.”
She added: “This is a woman who burns bridges. Her close friends don’t show up for her. Mr. [Ben] Rottenborn tried to discredit Mr. Depp’s witnesses by suggesting that they’re all on Mr. Depp’s payroll. So he doubled down on the hoax theory. That everyone is just lying.”
Heard’s sister, Whitney Henriquez, testified in court earlier this month.
While testifying, Vasquez said that she was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement after Depp allegedly hit her in the back and repeatedly “whacked” Heard in the face,
And now, a verdict has finally been reached.
The jury has decided that Depp has won the defamation case.
Depp has been awarded $10 million in compensatory damages, as well as $5 million in punitive damages, according to BBC News.
Amber Heard almost immediately spoke out.
Taking to Instagram, she said: “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.
“I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.
“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.
“I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly.”
And Depp released his own statement not long after.
Currently in England, Depp took to Instagram to share his statement.
“Six years ago, my life, the lives of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also the lives of the people for many many years has supported and believed in me we are forever changed,” the statement began. “All in the blink of an eye. False, very serious in criminal allegations were levied at me via the media which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were were brought against me. It’s had already travelled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.
“And six years later the hurt gave me my life back. I am truly humbled. My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing in the inevitable worldwide spectacle into my life was only made after considerable thought.
“From the very beginning the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owe to my children and all of those who ever main steadfast in there is a part of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
Numerous celebrities liked Johnny Depp’s statement.
More specifically, according to Buzzfeed News, Ryan Adams, Patti Smith, Michelle Branch, Ashley Benson, Bella Hadid, Gemma Chan, Halle Bailey, Naomi Campbell, Emma Roberts, Rita Ora, Chase Stokes, and Ian Somerhalder, just to name a few.
As for Amber Heard, Buzzfeed News reports that only Selma Blair, Sarah Steele, Kate Nash, and Jason Momoa liked the post.
Numerous Amber Heard fans, however, were undeterred by the ruling.
Some fans have accused the jury of being ‘sexist’.
One person wrote: “This jury is a racist, sexist fan group and nothing more.”
Another commented: My heart goes out to Amber. F* that sexist jury and f* this sexist country!”
Amber Heard will be awarded $2 million, despite her loss in court.
Depp was found to have defamed Heard, through his lawyer. The $2 million has been awarded as compensatory damages.
Heard’s attorney has claimed that she was demonized.
Speaking to Today, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft said that the trial was a ‘zoo’ and that the jury was influenced by social media.
Bredehoft said that she believes the result to be a ‘setback’ for women.
Before claiming that Heard is unable to pay the $8 million she now owes…
Bredehoft added:
“One of the first things she said when she came back from the verdict when we went into the conference room, was ‘I am so sorry to all these women.”
“She felt like she had let down all of these women because she had more evidence than most people do. And yet they still didn’t believe her.”
“Amber had an enormous amount of evidence, although a lot of it was suppressed in this case as opposed to the U.K. But look at all the women who have no evidence. All these women who suffer from domestic violence, domestic abuse, and they don’t have evidence.”
“And basically what this jury said is unless you pull out your cell phone and you tape record your spouse beating you, you’re out of luck.”
Heard’s lawyer added that in the US they merely demonized Amber.
But while Depp won the case in the US, he lost in the UK.
In the US, the jury found that Heard did, in fact, defame him in her 2018 Washington Post op-ed.
Now George Freeman, executive director of the Media Law Resource Center, has claimed there’s a simple reason why Depp won in the US but lost in the UK, reports the Washington Post.
Freeman said: “The answer is simple. It was up to the jury.”
Mark Stephens, an international media lawyer, added that there was a lot of strategy involved too.
He explained that in the US, they used a strategy known as DARVO, an acronym for deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender, in which Depp became the victim and Heard the abuser.
He explained: “We find that DARVO works very well with juries but almost never works with judges, who are trained to look at evidence.”
Depp’s career is expected to skyrocket, after years of downward spiralling.
He said that while it will be difficult, Depp will likely comeback and return to the glitz and glamour he held a few years ago.
Even a former Disney exec has claimed that he believes Depp could revive his role in Pirates of the Caribbean.
According to Insider, the former exec said: “I absolutely believe post-verdict that Pirates is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Capt. Jack back on board. There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture.
“With [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer riding high on the massive success of Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, there is huge appetite for bringing back bankable Hollywood stars in massively popular franchises.”
It’s been widely reported that Heard could be unable to pay the $10.4 million in damages she owes.
So what will happen if she can’t pay?
Well it’s believed that if Heard is unable to pay the damages she has three options. She can either appeal the judgement, file for bankruptcy, or risk having her wages garnished.
CBS News, attorney Sandra Spurgeon of Spurgeon Law Group from Lexington, Kentucky, explained that while the actress can appeal the verdict, she could be forced to post a bond for the full $10.4 million judgment, as well as interest.
Spurgeon said:
“For an individual who doesn’t have the ability to pay the judgment and no ability to post the bond, then there is a real issue if the winning party intends to execute the judgment.”
Should Heard file for bankruptcy, it would reportedly eradicate the $10 million, however she would be required to pay $350k in punitive damages.
If both of these options fail, it’s expected that Heard would have her wages garnished, as Heard still has ‘earning potential’.
A fundraiser was set up to help Heard pay her damages.
The fundraiser was set up by a certain Kimberly Moore and claimed that all money raised would go towards Heard to help her pay the damages.
The description reads: “I believe Amber, and social media protected the abuser. The judgment exceeds her net worth. It’s so sad that he was able to get away with the abuse. The judgment furthers that abuse. If you can please help her.”
However GoFundMe quickly removed the page.
They did so claiming that neither Heard nor anyone on her team had created the page.
But while things seem to be getting consistently worse for Heard, things are getting better for Depp.
And he is celebrating in style!
On the Sunday night following the trial, Depp visited a restaurant in Birmingham, UK.
Where he managed to rack up a whopping $60,000 bill!
He shut down the restaurant to dine with twenty of his closest pals.
And restauranteur Mohammed Hussain told TMZ that Depp was a lovely customer, too.
And Depp also refused ACLU’s request to pay $86,000 in costs in connection to the subpoenas that were served to the organization due to a result of the Virginia lawsuit.
The organization provided a statement about the issue: “The ACLU produced three witnesses—including its Executive Director—for over sixteen hours of depositions. Along the way, Mr. Depp rejected numerous compromises to minimize the burden and expense on the ACLU and its employees.”
This statement comes as the executive admitted that they had to go through 7,500 documents before providing $2,000 worth of documents to Depp for the trial against his ex-wife.
But, although Depp is willing to pay a certain amount to the charity organization, he refuses to pay the amount they have requested.
He called it “exorbitant and unreasonable.”
After Heard’s claims that she donated money to the ACLU, Depp demanded documents from the organization, and they had a disagreement. This then led to Depp filing a lawsuit against them, revealing in the lawsuit that Heard only paid $1.3 million to the organization.
Heard only paid $350k, with Depp paying $100k on behalf of Heard, $500k from a donor-advised fund, and another $3350k from another fund.
An attorney from the ACLU testified that they believed Elon Musk had something to do with the $500k donation on behalf of Heard.
And according to Depp’s lawyers, Depp may drop the $10 million in damages that Heard is expected to pay.
Depp’s attorney Benjamin Chew, spoke out on Good Morning America, saying “it was never about the money” for him.
GMA host, George Stephanopoulos, asked the lawyers if Depp would consider forgetting about the charges Heard has to pay.
“You have said that the goal was not to impoverish Ms. Heard – is it possible that we could see a settlement where she foregoes the appeal in return for Mr. Depp waving any monetary damages?” the host asked.
And although Benjamin Chew, Depp’s lawyer, said that he couldn’t talk about his private conversation with the actor, it was certainly implied that it was an option to drop the $10 million in damages.
He replied: “We can’t disclose attorney-client communications but as Mr. Depp testified and as we both made clear in our respective closings, this was never about money for Mr. Depp.
“This was about restoring his reputation and he’s done that.”
And displaying caution about what he said, Chew explained: “We have to be careful what we say, but this was about Mr. Depp’s reputation, that’s what it was about for him.”
And now, a petition has been launched in relation to the UK case in which Depp lost to The Sun.
The petition launched on Change.org was created by a practicing barrister, Daniel Shensmith, and it asks people to sign the petition in order for Depp to be allowed the change to appeal the UK case against the media outlet.
The petition reads:
“I am a practicing barrister in England and Wales and have strong views about this subject matter.
“I bring this petition to represent what I hope will become a great many signatures that support a request for the court to consider an order of its own motion to grant permission under CPR 52.30 (Reopening a final appeal, including permission to appeal) in the case of John Christopher Depp II v News Group Newspapers Ltd. & Anr. Case No: QB-2018-006323.
“The world watched as the US trial unfolded and the jury delivered its verdict in contrast to the findings of the trial judge in the UK,” it continued.
“Following the jury trial in Johnny Depp v Amber Heard in the United States (John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard (CL–2019–2911), the jury returned the unanimous verdict that Amber Heard defamed Johnny Depp in her statements of the alleged abuse and, therefore, that the alleged abuse did not occur.
“This is in stark contrast with the UK judgment, rendering it wholly incompatible as a matter of natural justice.
“There are numerous noteworthy issues in respect of the evidence of both cases, including, inter alia, police officer accounts that were discounted, yet proven by body-worn cam footage, and photographs that were shown in the US trial to have been digitally edited to misrepresent injuries,” the practicing barrister continued.
As Shensmith continued to detail reasons as to why he thought the UK trial results were unfair, he concluded by presenting videos of himself analyzing the judgment of those involved in the trial.
Last year, Depp was refused the decision to appeal the Libel verdict in his lawsuit against The Sun, who labeled him a “wife-beater.”
On March 21 of last year, the Court of Appeal refused Depp’s application for permission to appeal.
The decision to reject the actor’s appeal concluded with this statement: “As we have said, it is not easy to persuade this Court to overturn the findings of a trial judge on purely factual questions. We do not believe that there is a real prospect of it being prepared to do so in this case. The hearing before Nicol J was full and fair, and he gave thorough reasons for his conclusions which have not been shown even arguably to be vitiated by any error of approach or mistake of law.”
