Johnny Depp’s bid to appeal the ruling of his libel case has been refused

Johnny Depp has been refused permission to appeal the ruling of his High Court libel suit over being described as a “wife beater”.

Johnny Depp’s attempt to overturn a High Court ruling that he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard has been refused.

It comes after the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor, 57, lost his case against publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers (NGN), for libel over a 2018 article labelling him a “wife beater”.

The judge who dismissed Mr Depp’s claim this month said an appeal did not have a “reasonable prospect of success”, after a ruling in London’s High Court that what was written in The Sun article was “substantially true”.

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Depp has been given until December 7 to apply directly to the Court of Appeal. Picture: AFP.

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Mr Justice Nicol’s ruling on the application was made public on Wednesday. He also ordered the actor to make an initial payment to NGN of almost £630,000 ($A1.14 million) for its legal fees.

“In substance, the claimant disagrees with my findings of fact, but for the reasons summarised by (NGN’s barrister Adam Wolanksi QC) the findings of fact by a first instance tribunal – particularly one, such as myself, who has heard oral evidence – are rarely open to challenge on appeal,” Mr Nicol said.

“In any event, I do not consider that the proposed grounds of appeal have a reasonable prospect of success – and that is also the case so far as the grounds of appeal suggest that I erred in principle or in law – and there is not some other compelling reason why permission to appeal should be granted.”

Depp has until December 7 to apply directly to the Court of Appeal.

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Earlier this month, the judge in London’s High Court ruled he believed the actor had abused Heard 12 times. Picture: Getty Images.

In his main judgment published earlier this month, Mr Justice Nicol concluded that 12 of the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence referred to in the “wife beater” article did occur.

At the end of the often lurid defamation trial in London’s High Court, he said he believed the actor had abused Heard to such an extent that she frequently feared for her life.

Heard was The Sun’s star witness in the trial, which lay bare extraordinary revelations about the marriage of Depp and Heard, 34.

They included an instance of faeces in a hotel bed – supposedly Heard’s, but the judge ruled it was canine – and Depp smearing “I love you” on a mirror in blood.

In court, Depp accused Heard of making up her allegations, while acknowledging wide-ranging drug problems.

However, he insisted he is “not a violent person, especially with women,” a characterisation that was backed up in statements from former partners Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis.

Judge Nichol concluded Depp beat Ms Heard on 12 out of the 14 instances of domestic violence alleged by Heard – starting in 2013 when he slapped the actress when she made a comment about his tattoo.

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Depp lost his libel case and his role in Fantastic Beasts, due to be released in 2022. Picture: Getty Images.

As a result, Depp was asked to vacate his role in the Harry Potter prequel series Fantastic Beasts as the villain Gellert Grindelwald, which has been recast to star Mads Mikkelsen in his place.

A Warner Bros. spokesperson confirmed the news in a statement to Fox News earlier this month.

“Johnny Depp will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date,” the studio said.

“Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently in production, and will debut in theatres worldwide in the summer of 2022.”

The 57-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star reacted via social media on Friday. saying he had been “asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and agreed to that request”.