Johnny Depp’s Reps Says Amber Heard Lied as Libel Case Concludes – Billboard

Johnny Depp’s high-stakes libel case in opposition to a British tabloid that accused him of assaulting ex-wife Amber Heard wrapped up Tuesday (July 28) in a London court, with the big name’s lawyer calling Heard “a compulsive liar” and claiming that Depp was once the accurate sufferer of abuse in the relationship.

The Pirates of the Caribbean wide name is suing News Neighborhood Newspapers, creator of The Sun, and the newspaper’s government editor, Dan Wootton, on the High Court in London over an April 2018 article that known as him a “wife-beater.”

In closing arguments on the three-week trial, Depp’s lawyer, David Sherborne, stated the actor strongly denied “this popularity-destroying, profession-ending allegation.”

“He has by no design hit a girl in his complete lifestyles — duration, elephantine cease, nada,” Sherborne stated.

What Is The Dangle Deciding?

Dangle Andrew Nicol has retired to make a decision into story his verdict, anticipated in about a weeks.

Neither Depp nor Heard is on trial, though it has been easy to put out of your mind that all over a case that dissected their toxic wide name fancy affair.

Depp is the claimant in the civil case, NGN and Wootton are the defendants and Heard is their predominant stare. To defeat Depp’s libel claim, the newspaper have to persuade the decide that, on the steadiness of probabilities, its account was once excellent.

NGN’s lawyer, Sasha Wass, stated in her summing-up that there was once no query Depp “frequently and systematically abused his wife” and so the “wife-beater” label was once justified.

But Sherborne stated The Sun’s article gave the inaccurate impact Depp had been “tried, convicted and sentenced” for home violence, and compared him to aged movie successfully off person Harvey Weinstein, who has been jailed for sex offenses.

“Acting as each and every decide and jury, the defendants it appears to be like that and squarely shriek that Mr. Depp is guilty (of a) series of mighty and violent criminal offenses,” he stated.

What Is In Dispute?

The 2 aspects agree that the relationship between Depp and Heard, which started after they met on the shriek of 2011 comedy The Rum Diary, soured lengthy sooner than they divorced in 2017. Texts, emails and recordings attest to the extra and extra bitter relatives between Depp, now 57, and the 34-365 days-primitive model and actress.

But they disagree fully over who started and escalated their fights.

Heard claims Depp grew to turn out to be loyal into a violent alter ego he known as “The Monster” underneath the impact of alcohol and capsules. She alleges 14 separate incidents whereby he hit, slapped and shoved her, pulled her hair and threw bottles at her “savor grenades.”

Depp known as the allegations a “hoax” and claimed that Heard hit him, even severing the tip of his finger with a thrown vodka bottle.

Sherborne played the court an audio recording whereby Heard says to Depp “I didn’t punch you” nevertheless adds “I was once hitting you.”

The lawyer stated that was once “a straightforward, unambiguous, unequivocal admission of hitting him.”

“Mr. Depp, a ways from being the home abuser, is the home abused,” he stated.

Noting that Heard had bought a restraining expose in opposition to Depp in 2016 on the grounds of home violence, Sherborne stated “she has shriek herself up ever since as an point out of the #MeToo roam.”

“That is an primary disservice to those genuine victims, as successfully because the #MeToo roam, for Ms. Heard to rely herself regarded as one of them,” he stated.

Sherborne accused Heard of typically altering her account all around the trial, and stated that all over a “moment of unscripted malevolence” in the stare field, she’d made up a rumor that Depp had pushed aged lady friend Kate Moss down some stairs.

The lawyer stated Heard was once “a totally unreliable stare and frankly a compulsive liar — and I don’t squawk that flippantly.”

What Comprise We Realized?

The trial has supplied an up-discontinuance and fundamentally unflattering witness at Hollywood stardom, revealing minute print of Depp’s lifestyles of wealth, luxurious, emotional turmoil and substance abuse.

Depp acknowledged heavy drug exhaust, asserting he took marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and magic mushrooms, and grew to turn out to be addicted to opioid painkillers. But he denied capsules made him violent.

The couple’s relationship disintegrated in opposition to a glamorous global backdrop. Depp’s deepest island in the Bahamas, a Los Angeles penthouse, a luxurious put together and a non-public jet had been all areas for violence, consistent with Heard.

Depp stated in the stare field that he had made $650 million since he joined the profitable “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise — and ended up $100 million in debt after his monetary advisers ignored to pay his taxes for 17 years. He stated his essential prices incorporated $5 million to ship the ashes of his literary hero, drug-fueled journalist Hunter S. Thompson, into residence.

The couple’s relationship additionally left a costly path of destruction. Damage to a rented residence in Australia after one altercation was once estimated at bigger than $100,000. The couple’s downtown L.A. penthouse was once trashed all over one other argument. At one point, excrement was once left in their bed — whether or now not by a canines or a person is disputed.

Who Are The Winners And Losers?

British libel law is widely design to be to make a decision claimants over defendants, nevertheless Depp can also now not sleep a loser even supposing he wins.

Depp stated he sued The Sun because his profession had been harmed by Heard’s allegations. But the lawsuit has given the claims an primary global viewers.

“It almost beggars perception that someone rational has taken this case to court,” stated Value Stephens, a media lawyer at ravishing agency Howard Kennedy. “At some stage, mud sticks.”

Heard additionally has had her character wondered and has been accused of fabricating evidence. A #MeToo activist, Katherine Kendall, alleged that Heard appropriated a violent rape that took residing to Kendall for her non-public ends.

Heard has confronted abuse from Depp followers on social media. A minute community of Depp supporters, who cheered and threw vegetation as he was once driven from court, booed as Heard made an announcement on the courthouse steps.

“I did now not file this lawsuit and, irrespective of its significance, I could presumably well well include most standard now not to be here in court,” Heard stated. “It has been extremely painful to relive the breakup of my relationship, to include my motives and my truth wondered, and the most traumatic and intimate minute print of my lifestyles with Johnny shared in court and broadcast to the complete world.”

“I stand by my testimony and I now residing my faith in British justice.”

Will The Verdict Be The Pause Of The Story?

Now now not truly. Depp is suing Heard for $50 million in Virginia over a Washington Put up account about home violence. The trial is attributable to be held subsequent 365 days.

Stephens stated that if Depp “loses in London, he’s almost certain to lose that American case. So this is in some ways a robe rehearsal for the 2nd case.”