ABC/Randy Holmes(LONDON) — Johnny Depp scored a victory on Thursday in his bid to appeal the UK High Court’s ruling that The Sun newspaper did not libel the actor by referring to him as a “wife beater” in a 2018 article.
Court of Appeal judge Lord Justice Underhill on Monday granted Depp and his legal team an estimated two-hour hearing to take place between March 15 and March 31 to present further evidence to support their case, according to documents obtained by Deadline.
“The issues raised by both applications are best resolved at a hearing,” he wrote.
Amber Heard’s legal team will need to file reasons for opposing the appeal by February 21 while Depp’s team will be able to respond by February 28.
The Fantastic Beasts star is looking to overturn the previous decision that he was not libeled by the Sun.
The initial ruling deemed the phrase “substantially true” in relation to his relationship with ex-wife Heard. The verdict was damaging for Depp, who has repeatedly denied abuse allegations.
Depp’s lawyers have claimed the actor “did not receive a fair trial” and that the ruling was “plainly wrong.”
They called the paper’s description of their client a “reputation-destroying, career-ending allegation.”
By George Costantino
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