Bitter legal battle that followed a failed relationship
JOHNNY Depp lost his High Court libel claim against the publisher of The Sun last year, with a judge finding that allegations he was violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard were “substantially true”.
But the Hollywood star claims he “did not receive a fair trial” and is asking the Court of Appeal to grant permission for him to appeal against the ruling at a hearing on Thursday.
The high-profile trial in July last year heard Mr Depp and Ms Heard met in 2011 on the set of The Rum Diary, a film adaptation of a novel by Mr Depp’s friend Hunter S Thompson, before they started living together in around 2012.
Here is a timeline of the key events in their relationship and the bitter legal battle.
2013
● Early 2013: Mr Depp is alleged to have been physically violent to Ms Heard for the first time. Ms Heard claims Mr Depp slapped her three times after she joked about a tattoo he got on his arm during his relationship with actress Winona Ryder, which originally read “Winona Forever”, but was altered to “Wino Forever” after they split. He denies the allegation.
2015
● February 3: The couple marry in a private ceremony at their home in Los Angeles.
● Around March 3-5: The key incident in The Sun’s defence, a three-day trip to Australia described by Ms Heard as a “threeday hostage situation” in which Mr Depp was allegedly physically and verbally abusive while drinking heavily and taking drugs. Mr Depp denies the allegations and says Ms Heard lost her temper after a conversation about a post-nuptial agreement.
● April 21: The couple arrive in Australia with their pet Yorkshire Terriers Boo and Pistol, which they did not declare to customs officials in Queensland. Ms Heard was charged with bringing the dogs into the country illegally — though the charges were later dropped and the pair recorded a bizarre video apology.
2016
● Around May 22: The pair separate, Ms Heard claims after an incident at their LA penthouse in which Mr Depp allegedly became very angry and destroyed property with a bottle of champagne.
● May 23: Ms Heard files a petition for the dissolution of their marriage.
● May 27: Ms Heard applies for a temporary domestic violence restraining order, which prevents Mr Depp from contacting her.
● August 16: The estranged couple reach an agreement concerning the dissolution of their marriage.
2017
● January 13: The couple are formally divorced.
2018
● April 27: The column by The Sun’s executive editor Dan Wootton is published online at around 10pm. Under the headline “Gone Potty — How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”, Mr Wootton asked if the Harry Potter author had been “blinded by a personal friendship” with Mr Depp. The piece also quoted two alleged victims of disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, which Mr Depp says was included to “finish his career”.
● June 1: Mr Depp files his libel
claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN). His written claim, filed a few weeks later, alleges the article “caused serious harm to (his) personal and professional reputation” and also caused him “significant distress and embarrassment”.
● December 18: The Washington Post publishes an op-ed by Ms Heard which did not mention Mr Depp by name, but said the actress “became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out”.
2019
● February 27: Mr Depp fights off a bid to halt his English legal action after The Sun applies for his claim to be “stayed unless and until” the star confirmed in writing that he would not sue Ms Heard if she participated in a forthcoming trial.
● March 1: Mr Depp files a libel case against Ms Heard in Virginia, blaming the Washington Post piece for him being dropped from the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise and claiming Ms Heard was the one who had been abusive towards him.
2020
● February 26: Mr Depp attends the High Court in London for a preliminary hearing ahead of a trial due to begin the following month.
● March 20: The trial, which was due to begin on March 23, is postponed due to the global coronavirus crisis..
● April 8: Mr Justice Nicol rules parts of Ms Heard’s evidence, relating to allegations of sexual violence, will be heard in private.
● May 13: The court gives permission for Mr Depp’s former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder — who both say Mr Depp was “never violent” to them — to give evidence. Ms Heard’s former personal assistant Kate James is also permitted to give evidence.
● July 2: The High Court rules Mr Depp’s claim can go ahead after granting his application for “relief from sanctions” for the breach of a court order.
● July 4: The trial judge, Mr Justice Nicol, refuses an application by Mr Depp’s lawyers to exclude Ms Heard from court until she gives evidence.
● July 7: The trial finally begins at the Royal Courts of Justice in
London, with Mr Depp and Ms Heard giving evidence, as well as several of the couple’s friends and past and present employees.
● July 28: The trial ends after 16 days.
● Nov 2: Mr Depp loses his High Court libel action. In his ruling, Mr Justice Nicol dismissed the Pirates Of The Caribbean star’s claim, saying NGN had proved what was in the article to be “substantially true”. The judge said: “I have reached these conclusions having examined in detail the 14 incidents on which the defendants rely as well as the overarching considerations which the claimant submitted I should take into account.”
● Nov 6: Mr Depp announces that he has been asked by Warner Bros to resign from Fantastic Beasts 3 and he has “respected that and agreed to that request”.
● Nov 25: Mr Justice Nicol refuses Mr Depp’s application for permission to appeal against his ruling at the Court of Appeal.
● Dec 7: Mr Depp’s lawyers file grounds of appeal with the Court of Appeal, arguing the actor “did not receive a fair trial” and that Mr Justice Nicol’s ruling is “plainly wrong” and “manifestly unsafe”. His barrister David Sherborne asked the Court of Appeal to “set aside the judgment and order a new trial” if permission to appeal against Mr Justice Nicol’s judgment is given.
2021
● Feb 1: The Court of Appeal orders that Mr Depp’s application for permission to appeal should be considered at a hearing in March. Lord Justice Underhill also said that an application by Mr Depp’s lawyers to rely on new evidence would be dealt with at that hearing.
● Mar 18: Mr Depp’s application for permission to appeal will be heard by the Court of Appeal.