Johnny Depp Applies To Court of Appeal To Overturn Amber Heard Ruling

Johnny Depp has applied to the Court of Appeal to overturn the High Court ruling which stated he assaulted his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The actor had lost his libel claim against The Sun last month.

He had filed a case of defamation against the newspaper for publishing an article back in 2018 which labeled him as a wife-beater. The actor denied all accusations of abuse towards Amber. The judge on the case dismissed the actor’s claim.

He ruled out that what the article published was substantially true. The same judge also denied permission to appeal against the ruling. He ordered the actor to pay £628,000 in legal costs to The Sun. The actor was given time until December 7 to apply directly to the Court of Appeal.

Johnny has now filed an application with the Court of Appeal. It is still unclear on what grounds did the actor file the appeal. The decision of his application for permission to appeal would likely be made.

Johnny denied all claims of abuse and provided proof that claimed Amber Heard was the one who abused him. She also denied all claims and they had their trial for three-weeks. The actor’s lawyers had revealed that he would appeal against the judgment.

His lawyers stated the ruling as “perverse as it is bewildering”. The same judge who ruled the case has dismissed the actor’s appeal application. He claims that he does not believe that it had a reasonable prospect of success.

In his ruling, Mr. Justice Nicol wrote: “The findings of fact by a first instance tribunal (particularly one, such as myself, who has heard oral evidence) are rarely open to challenge on appeal.

Also Read: Johnny Depp’s Lawyers Play Video That Shows Amber Heard Attacking Sister

Johnny Resigns From Fantastic Beasts Franchise

“In any event, I do not consider that the proposed grounds of appeal have a reasonable prospect of success (and that is also the case so far as the grounds of appeal suggest that I erred in principle or in-law) and there is not some other compelling reason why permission to appeal should be granted.”

While awarding victory to The Sun he said he has found the great majority of alleged assaults of Amber by Johnny. Mr. Justice Nicol said The Sun and its parent company NGN had proved what was in the article to be “substantially true”.

However, the actor’s fans and Twitter users were not happy with the verdict. Johnny’s fans have not backed down from getting justice for the actor. Millions of fans have signed a petition demanding the actor be brought back for the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

This comes after the actor was asked to resign after losing his libel claim against The Sun. The Pirates of the Caribbean alum was asked to step down from his role as Gellart Grindelwald in J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series. He had taken legal action against the publication for labeling him as a ‘wife-beater’ in one of the articles they posted referring to Amber Heard.

The judge’s ruling was announced recently which led to the actor’s departure from Warner Bros. and the fan-favorite franchise. This led to the creation of the petition for the star to be brought back to the venture. The petition is posted on change.org and it is titled ‘Warner Bros. Bring Johnny Depp Back As Gellert Grindelwald’.

Also Read: ‘Johnny Depp Is No Wife-Beater’ Says Actor Mark Rylance

“I Intend To Prove That The Allegations Against Me Are False”

The petition has garnered around 1.5 million votes and counting. A summary posted under the petition reads that “Johnny Depp was asked by Warner Bros to resign and leave his role of Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3 movie.”

Further, the petition also explains the reason for the actor’s departure; and states, “This happened because of the verdict of his case with “The Sun” tabloid that was completely unfair. We want him back! Warner Bros should listen to the public or we will boycott the movie!!!” The Alice in Wonderland alum announced the news of resigning from the franchise in his statement after the ruling for the libel trial.

He wrote, “In light of recent events, I would like to make the following short statement. Firstly, I’d like to thank everybody who has gifted me with their support and loyalty. I have been humbled and moved by your many messages of love and concern, particularly over the last few days.”

Johnny further said that he wishes to let his fans know that he has been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from his role as Grindelwald. However, the actor said he respects and agrees with that request.

The Alice in Wonderland alum further wrote, “Finally I wish to say this. The surreal judgment of the court in the UK will not change my fight, to tell the truth, and I confirm that I plan to appeal”. He added that his resolve remains strong and he intends to prove that the allegations made against him are false.

Johnny added, “My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time. Thank you for reading. Sincerely Johnny Depp.” The actor did receive backlash from the survivors’ charity Women’s Aid; who accused him of trying to minimize the judge’s ruling.

Fans Support Johnny Depp

Johnny has earned over $20 million for each film. Warner Bros. dropping the actor from the film has sparked speculation of him being dropped by other studios as well. The actor had already started filming for the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie when he had to resign.

However, despite not being a part of the franchise, the actor will be receiving the full fee as he had already begun shooting for the film. A source confirmed that Johnny had a special provision in his contract which claimed ‘pay-to-play’. This means the actor would get his full salary despite what happened to the movie or if his role went to another actor.

However, Johnny’s fans are not having any of this as they have dedicatedly spent their time in the case trying to make sense of the judgment. Twitter was filled with support for Johnny as they claimed there was clear evidence that Amber abused Johnny. The day the judge ruled the actor guilty, fans shed light on the number of evidence that emerged from the case that only proves that Amber had abused Johnny multiple times.

Also Read: Johnny Depp’s Fans Launch Petition In Defence Of The Fallen Star