A piece just published online by The Times. Words fail me.
Johnny Depp has lost his libel battle over claims he physically and sexually abused his ex-wife and fellow actor Amber Heard during their tumultuous relationship.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star sued The Sun over an article that claimed he was a “wife beater”.
The ruling in the High Court this morning will leave the career of the Hollywood superstar in tatters and cost him millions in legal bills.
Depp, 57, denied he had left Heard, 34, in fear of her life during a string of attacks.
Mr Justice Nicol handed down his judgment today following a three-week trial at the High Court in London in July.
The judge said: “I have found that the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms Heard by Mr Depp have been proved to the civil standard.”
He added that a recurring theme in Mr Depp’s evidence was that Ms Heard had constructed a hoax and that she had done this as an “insurance policy”.
“I have in the course of this judgment given reasons why I do not accept this characterisation of Ms Heard,” the judge said.
“There is a multiplicity of emails, texts and messages and diary entries in the papers before me.”
Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, US counsel for Heard, 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.”
A spokesman for The Sun said: “The Sun has stood up and campaigned for the victims of domestic abuse for over twenty 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.”
Depp and Heard met while filming The Rum Diary in 2011 and married four years later, but divorced in 2016.
Depp told the court he was never violent towards his ex-wife, saying he had lost the tip of a finger after she threw a vodka bottle at him during a ferocious row while filming Pirates of the Caribbean in Australia.
Heard, the star of the Aquaman superhero movie, detailed 14 occasions of extreme violence when she said Depp choked, punched, slapped, head-butted, throttled and kicked her.
Depp sued The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its executive editor Dan Wootton over the 2018 article headlined “How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”
The biggest English libel trial of the 21st century garnered worldwide attention. The court heard evidence from both actors, along with friends and relatives of the couple, and several former and current employees.
The court was told that Depp flew into violent rages when he believed Heard was having affairs, including with his fellow actors James Franco and Billy Bob Thornton, and the Tesla billionaire Elon Musk.
Mr Justice Nicol said it was not part of his function to decide if either Heard or Depp had been unfaithful because even if they had “it could not begin to excuse the use of violence in consequence”.
All but two of the 14 alleged incidents of abuse were proved, including that Heard was put in fear of her life.
They included an attack during their honeymoon and on Heard’s 30th birthday, as well as during filming in Australia for Pirates of the Caribbean.
The judge said that Heard’s account of a “three-day hostage situation” at their mansion on Australia’s Gold Coast was “something of a hyperbole” as she could have left the property.
He added: “Yet taking all the evidence together, I accept that she was the victim of sustained and multiple assaults by Mr Depp in Australia.
“It is a sign of the depth of his rage that he admitted scrawling graffiti in blood from his injured finger and then, when that was insufficient, dipping his badly injured finger in paint and continuing to write messages and other things.
“I accept her evidence of the nature of the assaults he committed against her. They must have been terrifying. I accept that Mr Depp put her in fear of her life.”
Mr Justice Nicol also accepted that Heard had feared for her life when Depp grabbed her by the neck during their belated honeymoon on the Eastern and Oriental Express in southeast Asia in August 2015.
The judge said he did not believe that Heard or her friend had left faeces in Depp’s bed after he attacked his wife following her 30th birthday dinner.
Mr Justice Nicol said the court had heard that Boo, one of the couple’s two dogs, “had an incomplete mastery of her bowels after she had accidentally consumed some marijuana”.
He also said he accepted Heard’s evidence that the allegations she made against Depp “have had a negative effect on her career as an actor and activist”.
She had told the court that she had been subjected to a campaign of targeted online abuse on social media, with petitions calling for her to be removed from the sequel to Aquaman and a promotional contract with L’Oréal.
Lisa King, director of communications at domestic violence charity Refuge, said: “This is an important ruling and one which we hope sends a very powerful message: Every single survivor of domestic abuse should be listened to and should be heard.
“No survivor should ever have her voice silenced. A common tactic used by perpetrators of domestic abuse is to repeatedly tell victims that no one will believe them — and to use power and control to try and silence them.
“What we have seen today is that power, fame and financial resources cannot be used to silence women. That is a welcome message for survivors of domestic abuse around the world.”
Johnny Depp was accused of assaulting Amber Heard on 14 occasions. Depp denied hitting Heard or any other woman. Allegations relating to alleged sexual abuse are included in a confidential annex to the judgment.
Mr Justice Nicol found that all but two of the alleged incidents of abuse were proved, including that Heard was put in fear of her life.
Heard’s allegations
The Monster
Early 2013
Heard claimed Depp first hit her while they were in Los Angeles in early 2013. She said Depp apologised and said he sometimes turns into “the monster”. Depp denied hitting Ms Heard and said that, around early 2013, he had “confined himself to drinking wine and using marijuana, having been sober from around December 2011 to August 2012”.Mr Justice Nicol found: “Seen in isolation, the evidence that Mr Depp assaulted Ms Heard on this occasion might not be sufficient. However, taken with the evidence as a whole, I find that it did occur.”
Disco Bloodbath
March 8, 2013
Heard claimed Depp punched her in the face during an argument about a picture over her bed painted by her ex-partner, Tasya Van Ree. She said Depp tried to set the painting on fire and hit her so hard “that blood from her lip ended up on the wall”. Depp said he sent a message describing the evening as a “disco bloodbath” in an attempt to placate her, not as an apology.Mr Justice Nicol found: “I conclude that Mr Depp did assault Ms Heard as she and the defendants have alleged.”
Trailer Park
June 3, 2013
Heard claimed Depp took drugs during a party at a trailer park in Hicksville, California, and became “enraged” and “jealous” because one of her friends touched her. She said Depp threw a glass at her, ripped her dress and damaged the cabin in which they were staying. Depp said he drank and took magic mushrooms and believed the woman had touched Heard in an “extremely sexual manner”.Mr Justice Nicol found: “In the course of the argument, Mr Depp caused significant damage to the trailer … I address another aspect of this incident in the confidential annex to this judgment in which I do not accept the further allegation made by Ms Heard in relation to this incident.”
Private Jet
May 24, 2014
During a private jet flight from Boston to Los Angeles Heard claims that Depp was drunk and threw objects at her, pushed a chair at her, slapped her and kicked her before passing out in the lavatory. Depp sent a text message to Paul Bettany, a fellow actor, saying: “Ugly mate, No food for days.Powders. Half a bottle of whisky. A thousand Red Bull and vodkas, pills, 2 bottles of champers on plane.” Depp told the court: “It sounds like I overdid it … I didn’t remember that entire flight being such a nightmare.”
He said he had playfully touched Heard’s bottom with his foot.
Mr Justice Nicol found: “Mr Depp managed to kick Ms Heard on her back or bottom. This was more than a ‘playful tap’.”
Bahamas Island
August 17, 2014
Depp travelled to his private Bahamas island to “cure his dependence on painkillers” and allegedly slapped, kicked and sexually assaulted Heard.Depp claimed Heard stopped a nurse from giving him treatment while he was going through withdrawal for prescription painkillers.
Mr Justice Nicol found: “I find it more likely than not that Mr Depp did push Ms Heard on at least one occasion (as reflected in her text of August 17, 2014). I am not able to conclude whether there was more than this one assault.”
F***ing Savage
December 17, 2014
Heard claimed Depp flew into a jealous rage at their Los Angeles home and kicked her after she visited Clive Barker, the English novelist and playwright, who was recovering from an illness. Depp said that apologetic text messages sent to Heard in which he described himself as a “f***ing savage” and a “lunatic” did not relate to physical violence.Mr Justice Nicol found: “I am not persuaded that [this incident] constituted a physical assault of Ms Heard by Mr Depp.”
Mortdecai Premiere
January 25, 2015
Heard claimed Depp flew into a rage during a discussion about a prenuptial fit of fury while in Japan for his premiere of Mortdecai. His children were in a neighbouring room. She told the court: “There was an argument in a hotel room in Tokyo that resulted in Johnny kneeling on my back and hitting me on the back of the head.” Depp said he later described himself as a monster because “that’s what she liked to hear”.Mr Justice Nicol found: “I have found that on other occasions not long before [this incident], Mr Depp was adversely affected by drink and/or drugs, whether prescription or controlled drugs. During those incidents, Mr Depp assaulted Ms Heard.”
Hostage Situation
March 3-5, 2015
Heard described a “three-day hostage situation” during which she feared she was going to die at their rented home while Depp was filming Pirates of the Caribbean on Australia’s Gold Coast. She claimed she was stripped naked and had bottles thrown at her before Depp, who was high and drunk, chopped off the tip of one of his fingers and used blood to write messages on mirrors and walls. Depp claimed the finger was severed by a vodka bottle thrown by Heard.Mr Justice Nicol found: “I do not accept that Ms Heard was responsible for the injury to Mr Depp’s finger.
“Ms Heard’s description of the days in Australia as akin to a hostage situation was something of a hyperbole. She was not being kept in the house against her will …
“Yet taking all the evidence together, I accept that she was the victim of sustained and multiple assaults by Mr Depp in Australia.
“It is a sign of the depth of his rage that he admitted scrawling graffiti in blood from his injured finger and then, when that was insufficient, dipping his badly injured finger in paint and continuing to write messages and other things.
“I accept her evidence of the nature of the assaults he committed against her. They must have been terrifying. I accept that Mr Depp put her in fear of her life.”
March 2015
Heard said she had punched Depp only once during their marriage because she feared he was about to push her younger sister, Whitney Henriquez, down a stairwell after hitting her “hard and repeatedly” during a row after she discovered he was having an affair. “I recalled that he [Depp] had pushed a previous girlfriend, Kate Moss, down the stairs,” she said. Depp claimed Heard threw a can of Red Bull at him and punched him in the face.Mr Justice Nicol found: “ I accept that Mr Depp did assault Ms Heard …
“I find that Ms Heard was in her pyjamas as Ms Henriquez said … I do not find that she threw a can of Red Bull at Mr Depp. As she admitted, she did punch him, but I accept that was in defence of her sister.”
Honeymoon Train
August 2015
During a belated honeymoon on the Eastern and Oriental Express in southeast Asia, Depp allegedly hit Heard and pushed her against a wall by the throat, causing her to fear for her life. Heard recorded in her diary a “terrible” fight, which ended when “we finally fell asleep with one another, smashed together in desperate, childlike anger, fear and love”. Depp’s security guard who accompanied the couple said he never saw Heard with any injuries.Mr Justice Nicol found: “I accept that Ms Heard’s diary entry was written when it purports to have been. I accept that Ms Heard was assaulted by Mr Depp, as she and the defendants have alleged in [the incident]. I accept that she feared for her life on this occasion.”
Thanksgiving Party
November 26, 2015
Heard claims she was attacked following a Thanksgiving party attended by the singer Marilyn Manson at their Los Angeles penthouse. She said Depp ripped her shirt, threw her around a room and threw a wine glass and a “heavy glass decanter” at her, leaving her with a lump on the back of her head and “a busted lip”. The allegation was not put to Depp during the trial.Mr Justice Nicol found: “Ms Heard’s description of his assaults on this occasion are in line with other of her allegations which I have accepted … However, the omission to put this incident to Mr Depp means that I do not accept that it is proven.”
James Corden Show
December 15, 2015
Heard claimed Depp threw a decanter at her in their penthouse in LA, slapped her and pulled “large chunks of hair” from her scalp before headbutting her and screaming “I will kill you” on the eve of her appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Depp said there had been an accidental “clash of foreheads” while he was trying to restrain his wife while she was violent.Mr Justice Nicol found: “Mr Depp assaulted Ms Heard. This included headbutting her, as he admitted in the course of his cross-examination, but in my view it was not the accidental blow which he admitted.
“Mr Depp also tore out clumps of hair from Ms Heard’s head.”
Birthday Dinner
April 21, 2016
Heard claimed Mr Depp arrived at her birthday dinner at their LA penthouse late following a meeting with his business manager. After the guests left she alleged Depp threw a decanter at her, slapped her, dragged her through the apartment by her hair, pulling “large chunks of hair”, and headbutted her, saying, “You think you’re a f***ing tough guy.” Depp said Heard had “violently attacked him” several times. He said he decided to seek a divorce after discovering that human faeces had been left in his bed.Mr Justice Nicol found: “Mr Depp took marijuana, as he admitted. I find it more likely than not that he also drank alcohol and took cocaine. This had been his practice on other occasions when he was faced with stress.
“As he accepts, he arrived late at the dinner party to celebrate his wife’s birthday. He assaulted Ms Heard as he had done on previous occasions when he was stressed.”
Final Showdown
May 21, 2016
Heard claimed Depp arrived at their LA apartment “drunk and high” before throwing her mobile telephone at her, hitting her in the eye and smashing “everything he could”. Depp said he went to the apartment with two security guards to collect his belongings when Heard began shouting “stop hitting me, Johnny”’ while he was 20ft away. Two police officers said they “saw no injuries or bruising or swelling”.Mr Justice Nicol found: “Mr Depp did assault Ms Heard as she alleges.”
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