Johnny Depp was denied his request to appeal to the British Court of Appeal after initially losing his libel case against the Rupert Murdoch-owned British newspaper, The Sun. The former Fantastic Beasts star had filed the suit after the tabloid repeated claims by Depp's ex-wife, Aquaman star Amber Heard, that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor was physically abusive towards her during their tumultuous, short-lived marriage.
Last year, High Court Justice Andrew Nicol determined that the charges that The Sun made in its headline about Depp's casting in the first Fantastic Beasts (“Gone Potty: How Can J.K. Rowling Be ‘Genuinely Happy’ Casting Wife Beater Johnny Depp in the New Fantastic Beasts Film?”) were "substantially true" after listening to both Depp and Heard tell their respective versions of the various altercations during their marriage.
After the loss, Depp requested to appeal and Nicol denied it, saying "I do not consider that the proposed grounds of appeal have a reasonable prospect of success." However, Nicol then allowed Depp to directly request an appeal from the British Court of Appeals. At the time, Depp said, "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."
However, the Court of Appeals has shut Depp down, as well, meaning that he has completely lost his libel case in England.
Depp's lawyers released a statement on the court's decision, "The evidence presented at last week's hearing (the appeal of Mr. Depp vs. News Group Newspapers LTD) further demonstrates that there are clear and objective reasons to seriously question the decision reached in the U.K. court. Mr. Depp looks forward to presenting the complete, irrefutable evidence of the truth in the U.S. libel case against Ms. Heard where she will have to provide full disclosure."
Depp's forthcoming American libel case (in response to claims Heard made about Depp in a Washington Post article) will take place next year. The problem for Depp is that the standards in American libel cases are typically less favorable to the claimant than British libel cases, so Depp losing in England was a big blow. However, his lawyers feel that they will be able to call Heard's positions into doubt in court, as the British case turned on Nicol believing Heard more than Depp.
The $50 million libel trial (and Heard's $100 million counterclaim) was delayed until April 2022 after initially being scheduled to start earlier this year.
Source: Hollywood Reporter