Johnny Depp has lost his libel case against the publishers of The Sun newspaper over an article that described him as a "wife-beater."
Three months after the blockbuster trial, Judge Mr Justice Nicol ruled that the newspaper was justified in reporting that Depp was violent towards ex-wife Amber Heard.
Nicol said that Depp's lawsuit could not succeed because The Sun's lawyers had proved what the newspaper reported was "substantially true."
Johnny Depp has lost his libel case against the publishers of The Sun newspaper over an article that described him as a "wife-beater."
Three months after the blockbuster trial, Judge Mr Justice Nicol has ruled that the newspaper was correct in reporting that Depp was violent towards ex-wife Amber Heard.
Nicol said that Depp's lawsuit could not succeed because The Sun's lawyers had proved what the newspaper reported was "substantially true."
In reaching his ruling, Nicol referred to 14 separate incidents which The Sun's lawyers cited to justify calling Depp a "wife beater."
Depp, 57, launched the lawsuit against the newspaper for a column published in April 2018 titled: "Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?" written by the newspaper's executive editor Dan Wootton.
Following the ruling, a spokesman for The Sun said: "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."
The case has been described as the biggest English libel trial of the 21st century and received global attention as it unfolded over three weeks in July at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
The Sun reports that Depp may have to pay millions in legal costs — including The Sun's.
In a statement seen by the BBC, Ms Heard's lawyer in the US said: "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."
Both Depp and Heard, 34, gave evidence across the dramatic 16-day trial alongside relatives, friends, and former partners including Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis.
Intimate details of the pair's tumultuous relationship, which lasted from 2015 until 2017 and resulted in a restraining order, were laid bare. There were extreme tales of drug and alcohol abuse as well as accusations of infidelity.
On a dramatic first day, Depp told the High Court that he began taking drugs at the age of 11 and did not have "a particularly stable or secure or safe home life," according to court transcripts. And the former "Pirates of the Caribbean" star accused Heard of cheating with both Elon Musk and James Franco.
Johnny Depp has strenuously denied all claims that he was violent towards Heard and has also launched a $50m case against Heard in the US over a column she penned for the Washington Post about her experience as a victim of domestic violence.
While Depp is not named in Heard's piece, his legal team insists that it is strongly inferred that the article is about him.
Read More:
The biggest moments from Johnny Depp's libel trial against News Group Newspapers
A complete timeline of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's tumultuous relationship
Read the original article on Insider