Johnny Depp Denied Appeal In “Wife Beater” Libel Case

Johnny Depp has been denied an initial appeal over a UK court’s verdict earlier this month that The Sun did not libel the actor by describing him as a “wife beater.”

The explosive case culminated November 2 with a judge decreeing that the tabloid’s use of the phrase in a 2018 article about his relationship with ex-wife Amber Heard was “substantially true.” Justice Andrew Nicol’s verdict also declared that “Mr Depp did assault Ms Heard” in reference to multiple allegations of domestic violence.

The actor had planned to appeal but The Times is reporting this has been denied, with the judge saying it did not have “a reasonable prospect of success,” and he must pay an initial £628,000 legal costs to The Sun owner News Group Newspapers. His legal team may now look to take their case to the Court of Appeals if they wish to continue action.

After the initial verdict, the actor was axed from Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts franchise. Mads Mikkelsen is understood to be in talks to replace him.