Johnny Depp Says He Hopes For A “Better Time Ahead”

Johnny Depp has revealed that he hopes for a “better time ahead”. The actor shared with his fans a social media message over the weekend.

His lawyers had recently told the Court of Appeal that he did not receive a fair trial. They also stated that the ruling which says he assaulted Amber Heard and left her fearing for her life is “plainly wrong”.

Johnny posted a black-and-white throwback photo with Shane MacGowan, the lead singer of the Porgues. The actor described the year as “hard” for many amid the coronavirus pandemic. He wrote, “This year has been so hard for so many. Here’s to a better time ahead. Happy Holidays, everyone! My love and respect to you all. Eternally, JD. X.”

The actor had sued The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers for defamation over an article from 2018. It labeled the actor as a “wife-beater”. The case went on for weeks as both the parties provided evidence. Both Johnny and Amber testified at the High Court as Mr. Justice Nicol dismissed the actor’s claims.

He found NGN proving that the content in the article was “substantially true”. However, Johnny’s lawyers claim the ruling was “manifestly unsafe” and said they will ask the court to “set aside the judgement and order a new trial”. His barrister also argued the judge “uncritically accepted at the outset that Ms Heard must have been correct in her allegations’ and ‘discounted evidence to the contrary”.

He also said that according to the judge’s ruling, he just accepted everything Amber said despite of it being implausible and inconsistent with the documents. His legal team claim Mr Justice Nicol “failed to undertake any, or an adequate analysis, of Ms Heard’s shifting account, despite the importance of consistency as a consideration of a witness’s testimony”.

“The judge failed to properly assess her credibility by reference to documentary evidence”

In written submissions to the Court of Appeal, Mr Depp’s barrister David Sherborne said Mr Justice Nicol “concluded that the appellant was guilty of serious physical assaults without taking account of or even acknowledging that Ms Heard had been untruthful in her evidence, without testing her account against the documentary evidence and the evidence of other witnesses, and without making any findings that he disbelieved those witnesses”.

He also added that his uncritical acceptance of her account of events is manifestly unsafe. The barrister argued that the conclusion is that the judge failed to find the “victim”. He also stated that the judge excluded relevant evidence from his consideration and ignored the relevant matters that undermined Amber.

David also added, “The judge failed to properly assess her credibility by reference to documentary evidence, photographs, recordings or otherwise.” Concluding the statement, he said, “This was a very public judgment, reached by a single judge, making devastating findings of extremely serious criminal offenses having been committed, and where this has had wide-ranging implications for the public at large, particularly victims, or those wrongly accused, of alleged domestic abuse.”

He described how important it is in such circumstances where the flaws in judgment are so many and fundamental. The barrister also informed that there is an effective appeal process which is important.  

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.

Johnny Resigns From Fantastic Beasts Franchise

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.

“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.

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

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’.

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.

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