Johnny Depp\u2019s defeat in the London libel courts has been hailed by domestic violence charities as a victory that should encourage other victims to come forward and seek justice.<\/p>\n
The judgment on Monday by the high court that the Sun was justified in describing the Pirates of the Caribbean star as a \u201cwife beater\u201d was welcomed by lawyers and campaign groups who support those who have experienced domestic abuse.<\/p>\n
The damage to the Hollywood actor\u2019s reputation, following one of the most widely followed libel trials of the century, will be extensive. His lawyers said he was likely to appeal against the \u201cperverse and bewildering decision\u201d.<\/p>\n
The four-week trial exemplified tactics used to silence and discredit victims, according to domestic violence charities.<\/p>\n
In the 129-page ruling, the judge, Mr Justice Nicol, concluded: \u201cThe claimant [Depp] has not succeeded in his action for libel \u2026 The defendants [the Sun and News Group Newspapers] have shown that what they published in the meaning which I have held the words to bear was substantially true.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have found that the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms Heard by Mr Depp have been proved to the civil standard.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge said he did not accept Depp\u2019s characterisation of his ex-wife as a gold-digger. Nicol noted: \u201cHer donation of \u2026 $7m to charity is hardly the act one would expect of a gold-digger\u201d.<\/p>\n
In 12 out of the 14 incidents of assault<\/a> reported by Heard, the judge said he found the allegations proved. \u201cI do not regard [the Sun\u2019s] inability to make good these allegations [in the other two incidents] as of importance in determining whether they have established the substantial truth of the words that they published.\u201d<\/p>\n Depp, 57, sued the Sun\u2019s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an article published in the Sun that originally carried the headline \u201cGone Potty: How can JK Rowling be \u2018genuinely happy\u2019 casting wife beater Johnny Depp<\/a> in the new Fantastic Beasts film?\u201d<\/p>\n NGN relied on a defence of truth to the claim. The burden of proof was on the Sun to demonstrate that the story was substantially accurate on the balance of probabilities. This is the standard of proof in a civil case, whereas in a criminal case it relies on the matter being beyond reasonable doubt.<\/p>\n Depp\u2019s lawyers had argued that the gravity of the allegations meant that the civil standard of proof applied in defamation cases should be applied \u201cflexibly\u201d, so that the more serious the allegation \u201cthe stronger must be the evidence before a court\u201d.<\/p>\n Immediately after the ruling, the publisher issued a statement saying: \u201cThe 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<\/a> for her courage in giving evidence to the court.\u201d<\/p>\n
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