On Nov. 2, the court ruled against Johnny Depp in saying that the publisher, The Sun, was correct in reporting that Depp was violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard. The blockbuster defamation trial began as a result of The Sun labeling Johnny Depp as a “wife-beater” in reference to him being violent towards Amber Heard.
The newspaper argued that the accusations were indeed true and accurate, and therefore, did not meet the qualifications for libel or slander. In defense of The Sun, Heard testified that Depp had assaulted her on 14 occasions, starting before they were married and continued throughout their relationship. Depp has strenuously denied all accusations that claim he was violent towards Heard. Even his ex-wives Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis have both defended his character in their witness statements for him against The Sun. Ryder, who was with Depp for four years, even said in her statement, “I was shocked, confused and upset when I heard the accusations against him.” While things did end between them romantically, Ryder still counts their current relationship as one of the most important in her life.
Soon after losing the case, Johnny Depp posted a photo on social media of a letter in which he describes how he was asked to step down by Warner Bros. from his role of Gellert Grindlewald in the Fantastic Beasts film series. Depp has played the character for the past two movies in the franchise and was intended to reprise his role for the third installment in the series until he was asked to resign, to which Depp respectfully agreed to.
In regards to salary, Depp will still be compensated in full despite being removed from his role as he, and many Hollywood A-listers, have a pay-or-play agreement written into his contract. This requires that he be fully imbursed for the film regardless if the movie is made or even if it is recast. He is expected to receive an eight-figure sum for his work.
Despite losing the libel case against The Sun, Depp has the hope to legally clear his name once again as he is also suing Heard for defamation in Virginia. Last week, a Virginia state judge ruled that Depp is allowed to move forward with the $50 million case. The lawsuit comes as a result of an opinion article that Heard wrote for The Washington Post. Depp claims the article led to him being dropped by Disney from his infamous role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise.
In the op-ed, Heard self-proclaims to be a victim as she writes that she is a “public figure representing domestic abuse and [she] felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.” However, the suit argues that Heard is a perpetrator and not a victim of domestic abuse. Depp’s lawyers are arguing that the actress’s allegations and the overall reason behind the article are all part of an elaborate scheme to generate positive attention for Heard.
Virginia is just one of ten states that adhere to the lex loci delicti rule, which is Latin for the place of the wrong where the tort was committed. Depp chose to file in Virginia rather than California because of their extremely strong anti-SLAPP laws, which are intended to prevent people from using defamation suits. There is no telling when the case will go underway or how long it will transpire.
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