Amber Heard has reportedly said the verdict of Johnny Depp’s libel case against News Group Newspapers Ltd is “not a surprise”.
The 58-year-old actor lost his libel case against News Group Newspapers Ltd (NGN) after they labelled him a “wife-beater” in an April 2018 article.
Depp took NGN and The Sun’s executive editor Dan Wootton to court earlier this year over the allegation.
Speaking on behalf of Ms Heard, 34, US counsel Elaine Charlson Bredehoft shared a statement with Metro this afternoon, reacting to the news.
It read: “For those of us present for the London High Court trial, this decision and Judgment are not a surprise.
“Very soon, we will be presenting even more voluminous evidence in the US. We are committed to obtaining Justice for Amber Heard in the US court and defending Ms. Heard’s Right to Free Speech.”
Heard’s rep said the actress was “not surprised” by the verdict (Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Three months after the closing statements in court, the ruling was handed down on Monday, November 2, by Mr Justice Nicol.
The judge found that 12 of 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence against Ms Heard did occur.
His statement read: “The claimant has not succeeded in his action for libel.
“Although he has proved the necessary elements of his cause of action in libel, the defendants have shown that what they published in the meaning which I have held the words to bear was substantially true.”
Johnny Depp has lost his libel case against the Sun newspaper (Image: WireImage)
The judge went on: “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.
“I have found that the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms Heard by Mr Depp have been proved to the civil standard.”
Nicol also spoke out against accusations Heard had been a gold-digger, saying: “I recognise that there were other elements to the divorce settlement as well,” before adding “but her donation of … $7mto charity is hardly the act one would expect of a gold-digger”.
Having met while filming The Rum Diary together, Heard and Depp married in a private ceremony in Los Angeles in 2015, only to divorce two years later.
Depp and Heard were married for two years, between 2015 and 2017 (Image: Getty Images for Art of Elysium)
The original headline article by Wootton read: “Gone Potty – How can JK Rowling be “genuinely happy” casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”
Depp’s trial against NGN began on July 7, as the Edward Scissorhands star, his security team, and his ex-wife Heard gave testimonies in the High Court.
Throughout the trial, Depp denied all allegations of abuse and alleged that his ex-wife Heard had been abusive towards him.
After the ruling, NGN issued a statement saying: “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.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
