Deb sues The Sun publisher for defamation over violence report
Hurd appears as witness... Allegations of affair with Elon Musk
Hollywood star Johnny Depp (57) and his ex-wife Amber Heard (34) appeared at the High Court in London, England. Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against News Group Newspapers, the publisher of the local tabloid The Sun, and its chief columnist Dan Wootton. Heard appeared as a witness.
According to BBC on the 7th (local time), Depp's legal representatives pointed out in their statements that the content of The Sun's article seriously damaged Depp's reputation. Wootton had reported in an April 2018 article that Depp had been violent toward Heard during their marriage. Depp's side stated, "Heard's claims are lies fabricated by her and her friends. The claimant did not commit any violence." They even claimed that Heard was the violent one and "committed infidelity after marrying Depp." Heard has been suspected of having an affair with Tesla CEO Elon Musk shortly after their marriage in 2015.
The Sun's legal representatives stated in their statements, "We will prove that portraying the defendant as a wife-beater is the accurate truth." In this regard, Heard submitted audio recordings of conversations with Depp. She said, "I recorded them because Depp either did not remember or denied what he said or did when he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol."
The two met in 2011 during the filming of the movie Rum Diary and married in February 2015. However, they divorced by mutual consent after 18 months. Heard later accused Depp of continuous abuse and filed a domestic violence lawsuit but withdrew it. Evidence has emerged showing that he was the one who committed violence against Depp and admitted it.
In the transcript released by the Daily Mail, Heard tells Depp, "If you, as a man, say you are a victim of domestic violence, who do you think will believe you?" and "The jury and judge know there is a physical difference between us." She also admits to assault, saying, "I didn't slap properly. I did hit, but this is not hitting." Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard in March last year at the Fairfax court in Virginia, USA, claiming that Heard damaged his reputation.
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