The Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear the request filed by the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor in a bid to overturn judge's ruling in his libel battle against British tabloid.
- Feb 3, 2021
AceShowbiz - Johnny Depp has been given a lifeline in his ongoing libel battle with The Sun - the actor's bid for a retrial is to be heard next month (Mar21).
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star wants to overturn a ruling he assaulted his ex-wife, Amber Heard, which ended his libel trial against the tabloid's publishers last summer (20).
Mr Justice Nicol ended the proceedings by declaring Depp put Heard in "fear for her life" three times, adding he found The Sun's description of the actor as "a wife beater" was "substantially true."
The movie star has been fighting to overturn the decision ever since, and now his request for a retrial will be considered by the Court of Appeal next month.
Depp initially sued The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, over a 2018 piece written by executive editor Dan Wootton, which referred to "overwhelming evidence" he attacked "Aquaman" star Heard.
Following the high-profile trial, Depp's legal team claimed the judge "failed to examine the competing accounts of each incident, or to explain whether he found them proved and, if so, on what basis."
The attorneys representing the actor also argued the judge should have "analysed the extent to which Ms Heard's evidence undermined her credibility in relation to her allegations of physical assault/injury," adding Justice Nicol "took little or no account of the striking examples of Ms Heard's willingness to lie or commit wrongdoing."
The actress' lawyer insisted the trial judge's ruling was "thorough," adding, "Each conclusion of fact was supported by a detailed analysis of the relevant oral and documentary evidence."
The ruling cost Depp his role in the latest "Fantastic Beasts" movie.
