Failure of attempt to undermine Heard’s account could have lasting implications
Johnny Depp’s high-profile and ultimately disastrous libel case against the Sun is a rarity in an era where financially struggling news outlets are less willing to fight risky legal cases, and where libel law incentivises publishers to settle before cases reach court.
The actor’s decision to sue the Sun’s publisher, Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, over its claim that he was a “wife beater”, led to the very public airing of dirty laundry in a
London courtroom and a conclusion that the newspaper’s accusation was based in fact.