Johnny Depp loses UK libel case that labelled him as a 'wife beater'

The Pirates of the Caribbean fame Johnny Depp, on Thursday, March 18, requested permission to appeal his defeat in a London libel case. However, the actor has been unsuccessful in his attempt to overturn a ruling in the United Kingdom High Court that he was violent to his ex-wife Amber Heard. The actor filed the lawsuit in response to a tabloid article labelling him a "wife beater".

According to a report in variety.com, Depp called Heard's claims of domestic violence a "choreographed hoax." Judge Andrew Nicol, on the other hand, found that Depp had been violent toward Heard on at least 12 occasions and dismissed Depp's case. Depp applied for permission to appeal the verdict, arguing that the judge had refused to adequately evaluate the facts and seeking a full retrial. The actor's legal team attempted to introduce new evidence, claiming that it weakened Heard's credibility as a witness.

Heard told a "calculated and deceptive lie" in a vow to donate her $7 million divorce settlement to charity, according to Depp's lawyer, Andrew Caldecott, who claims the money has not been paid. Caldecott said that if the facts about the charity allegation had come out during the trial, it would have had a significant impact on the judge's overall assessment of Ms Heard's testimony.

According to Variety, the Court of Appeal denied Depp's request to appeal Nicol's decision on Thursday. The appeal judges, James Dingemans and Richard Arnold claimed that the hearing before [Nicol] was thorough and honest and that he provided thorough explanations for his opinions, which have not been shown to be tainted by any method or legal error.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s trial

Depp's ex-wife allegedly detailed 14 instances of excessive violence in which Depp allegedly threatened her life during the libel trial. Twelve of these accounts were accepted by the judge. Amber and Johnny Depp first met on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011. After nearly four years of marriage, the couple filed for divorce in 2016. While Amber claimed that Depp was violent towards her, Johnny Depp has always maintained his innocence since the beginning. He called his ex-claim wife's a hoax and an attempt to extort money by sullying his reputation.

Source: Variety, In Image: Johnny Depp Instagram