#Johnny Depp Applies to Overturn Wife Beater Ruling with UK Court of Appeal

After losing his libel lawsuit in the U.K. last month, Johnny Depp has applied directly to the Court of Appeal in an effort to have the judge’s controversial ruling overturned. The complaint stemmed from an article in the British tabloid The Sun that labeled Depp as a “wife beater,” following allegations made by ex-wife Amber Heard that the actor was physically abusive to her during their marriage. In response, Depp sued The Sun publisher News Group Newspapers, arguing that Heard was actually the one who was abusive to him.

During the legal proceedings, Heard took to the stand and reaffirmed her claims that Depp was violent during their relationship. Depp’s legal team then released audiotapes of Heard allegedly admitting to physically attacking Depp that would corroborate his version of the story in the eyes of many fans. Regardless, the High Court dismissed Depp’s claim in November, ultimately ruling that what The Sun had reported was “substantially true.”

Making matters worse for Depp, the ruling had cost him his lucrative job playing Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3. Days after the judgment, Warner Bros. had asked Depp to step down from the role, and in a statement posted to Instagram, Depp revealed that he had obliged to their request. He also stated that he vowed to appeal the ruling.

“The surreal judgment of the court in the U.K. will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal,” Depp wrote. “My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time.”

Depp hit his first roadblock in his plans to appeal when the same judge that ruled against him denied his appeal, stating that he didn’t consider that it had a “reasonable prospect of success.” The Pirates of the Caribbean star has taken the next step by filing an application with the U.K. court of appeal, this according to a list of publicly-available pending appeals. It’s not yet known when a decision on his application for permission to appeal will be made.

Meanwhile, Depp’s legal troubles with Heard will continue through a separate lawsuit based in the U.S. He is also suing Amber Heard for defamation based on an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018 in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. Depp would later claim that the controversy had gotten him fired by Disney from his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. As part of the suit, Depp is seeking $50 million in damages from his ex-wife.

Public opinion appears to be substantially on Depp’s side. A petition to have Heard fired from Aquaman 2 has surpassed 1.5 million signatures and continues to grow larger every day. Other petitions have been launched calling for Depp to get his acting roles back for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and Fantastic Beasts 3. Fortunately for the actor, he has been able to keep his job as the face of Sauvage for Dior, so not all has been lost.

This news comes to us from Herald Scotland.