It’s been a long and slow slog to get to November, and in this case I’m not talking about the American election. Instead, I’m talking about the libel court case involving Johnny Depp and the parent company for The Sun, an outlet which had previously alleged Depp was a ‘wife beater’ after stories had run around about the Pirates of the Caribbean actor and his ex-wife Amber Heard. Now, though, we’re finally approaching the long-awaited verdict.
In fact, according to court reporters who have been following the case, the verdict from Justice Andrew Nicol is expected to be coming down the pipeline on Monday, November 2. Tristan Kirk of the Evening Standard broke the news on social media, with other reports following.
This has been a long time coming. Back at the beginning of August, the expectation was that a ruling could happen on Johnny Depp’s libel case as early as September, though there was some indication at the time it could take longer. Still, November 2 is a long time off from a sunny day in September when the ruling could originally have come down, particularly if you think of time in days instead of months. If the date holds, it's also, conveniently or inconveniently, one day before the aforementioned election in the U.S.
The reason the verdict on this court case is so important is that it’s coming as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have separate lawsuits in Virginia. Depp sued Heard first, claiming she tarnished his name in an Op Ed that she wrote. Then, Heard countersued—and for a whole lot more money. For Heard’s part, the Aquaman actress says Depp’s new lawsuit is continuing his “abuse.” Thus, unlike the Op Ed at the center of the lawsuit which was not specific her claims were about Depp, Heard is and has been saying her ex was her abuser as part of these court cases. For his part, Johnny Depp has also made claims related to abuse from Heard.
But those lawsuits have had trouble getting underway as both actors have said their schedules in regards to filming Fantastic Beasts 3 (Depp) and Aquaman 2 (Heard) have made the other person’s preferred times for depositions untenable. Amber Heard’s lawyers have been attempting to push up the date to depose Johnny Depp only recently.
While all of this has gone on, Johnny Depp has waited on a verdict in the libel case coming out of the U.K, a case that roped in such famous celebrities as Winona Ryder and even Channing Tatum, who inadvertently got brought up as an actor Depp referred to as “potato head.” At one point Elon Musk even challenged Johnny Depp to “a cage fight” over some rumors that came out in relation to the case that Musk may have had an affair with Amber Heard during a period in which she was still partnered with Depp.
The ongoing lawsuits have had an impact on Hollywood as a whole and they haven’t even fully played out yet. Though, we’ll be sure to keep you updated as the Virginia suit and countersuit move forward.
