Last week, Johnny Depp and his reps appealed against the damning verdict of last fall’s libel court case that the former Pirates of the Caribbean star took out against UK tabloid The Sun for labelling him “a wife beater.” Unfortunately for him, though, the UK Court of Appeals has elected to dismiss his request for a retrial, meaning the original ruling that The Sun’s description was “substantially true” still stands. And Depp’s supporters are furious over this on social media.
As it often does whenever Johnny’s in the headlines again, #JusticeForJohnnyDepp has been trending on Twitter today as his loyal fans are blasting the courts for ignoring his appeal, arguing that Depp has served up more than enough evidence to discredit ex-wife Amber Heard’s claims. His supporters are hoping that things will go his way in his next legal appointment – next year’s $50 million defamation case against Heard herself, which will take place in Virginia – and you can check out some of the reactions below.
We all know that the British system of justice is flawed but millions of people are standing by #johnnydepp and that is a win beyond measure #justiceforjohnnydepp https://t.co/sHbosJh1cT
— @victoriamary (@Victoriamary) March 25, 2021
Johnny Depp had:
Police & medical staff testimonies, witness statements, CCTV, voice tapes and photographs.
UK legal system – “Yeah but she said it happened LOL” #JusticeForJohnnyDepp pic.twitter.com/HAOoDtFRT2
— çhlöé (@blizzardofchlo) March 25, 2021
https://twitter.com/ThatBrianFella/status/1375049384912621571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1375049384912621571%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.small-screen.co.uk%2Fjusticeforjohnnydepp-trends-uk-courts-refuse-johnny-depps-libel-appeal-case%2F
https://twitter.com/Deppology/status/1375041841935056897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1375041841935056897%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.small-screen.co.uk%2Fjusticeforjohnnydepp-trends-uk-courts-refuse-johnny-depps-libel-appeal-case%2F
https://twitter.com/MyGrindelwald/status/1375041330234200064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1375041330234200064%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.small-screen.co.uk%2Fjusticeforjohnnydepp-trends-uk-courts-refuse-johnny-depps-libel-appeal-case%2F
I'm just gonna say it.
Johnny Depp's appeal didn't fail.
The system has FAILED him and many others in this. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp— Deppsparrow 🐦 (@Deppsparrow1) March 25, 2021
— Rack (@RackAnimateREAL) March 25, 2021
https://twitter.com/LLaurh/status/1375087708129927168
#JusticeForJohnnyDepp #MenToo https://t.co/fbA2nQbjCR
— Kris♿️_WK (@Kris_WK21) March 25, 2021
#JusticeForJohnnyDepp https://t.co/QnE3VhBG37
— 🌾Ɱαɾiҽ ʝҽαnnҽ (@Breizhou420) March 25, 2021
#JusticeForJohnnyDepp https://t.co/ZrYDVP8PFn
— 🌾Ɱαɾiҽ ʝҽαnnҽ (@Breizhou420) March 25, 2021
We know the truth 🚀we love you ❤️#JusticeForJohnnyDepp pic.twitter.com/so2QDg6ib1
— sofia (@sdarchiashvilii) March 25, 2021
Depp’s fans have also done some digging into Judge Andrew Nicol, who originally ruled against the star, and it appears that his son works for The Sun’s spinoff radio station talkRADIO. Seeing as this is a clear conflict of interests and could have influenced his decision to rule in favor of his son’s employers, Depp supporters are blasting the judge as the wrong person to preside over the case and claiming that this is yet another reason why it wasn’t a fair trial.
His experience in the UK courts hasn’t turned out as he hoped, to put it lightly, so Johnny Depp and his legal team will no doubt be doubling down on their efforts to nail their upcoming defamation case, which was originally set for this spring but was ultimately moved back to April 2022.
The actor’s latest movie, meanwhile, crime thriller City of Lies, has just released in limited theaters and on VOD in the US.