- After a long and arduous court battle, Johnny Depp lost against “The Sun.”
- The actor sued the paper for libel, claiming that he was negatively affected by them calling him a “wife-beater,” but a judge ruled that the claim was “substantially true.”
- Does this spell trouble for Prince Harry & Meghan Markle, as well, who have a similar case pending against the paper?
Johnny Depp has lost his court battle.
A high court judge has ruled in favor of gossip rag “The Sun,” claiming that their assertions of the actor being a “wife-beater” were “substantially true.”
The Sussexes have a similar battle pending against the Murdoch-owned gossip rag — so does this ruling mean trouble for them? Let’s take a look.
Why Did The High Court Rule Against Johnny Depp?
The battle between “The Sun” and Johnny Depp was a long and arduous one, filled with twists & turns, and accusations of abuse from both his side and his ex-wife, Amber Heard’s, side.
But, in a nutshell, Depp’s problem with “The Sun” was that they referred to him as a “wife-beater” in a 2018 article.
And, as People Magazine reports, the high court ultimately found that there was nothing wrong with that.
On Monday, presiding judge Mr. Justice Nicol ruled that The Sun’s article was “substantially true” in a written statement delivered through the UK Ministry of Justice. “The Claimant (Depp) has not succeeded in his action for libel,” Nicol added in a lengthy judgment that detailed 14 separate incidents that came to light.
While Johnny Depp stans are nothing if not a sometimes annoying force, they do have a point when they say that Amber Heard certainly knew how to give it as good as she got it, as you can hear in the rather scary video below.
(This should go without saying, but abuse is never okay, no matter if it comes from a man or a woman. If you have to take things this far in a relationship, leave — but don’t pick your hands up to another human being!)
So, what does that mean for the upcoming case brought against “The Sun” by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?
This One’s A Little Tricky
Thankfully, the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle case against “The Sun” doesn’t involve any sort of abuse, domestic or otherwise. But that doesn’t mean that “The Sun” didn’t do their part to make the Duke & Duchess of Sussex’s lives a living hell.
But in Harry & Meghan’s case, their allegations are arguably more difficult to prove. They have to prove, by a preponderance of evidence, that the newspaper hacked into their phones or otherwise obtained information using illegal and/or unethical measures. And while the burden of proof in the UK is far different than the burden of proof in the United States, it’s still not an easy battle to undertake — regardless of your royal status.
The Johnny Depp case is now taking its fight to the United States, and it will be interesting to see if the Sussexes follow suit — or if their case goes the same way as his at all.
