In case you didn’t know, Johnny Depp sued The Sun after editors of the magazine called him a ‘wife-beater’ in articles pertaining to his legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. When the Fantastic Beasts actor first accused The Sun of libel, things were looking pretty good for him. However, now that some old text messages have resurfaced, the tables have turned.
The texts were sent by Depp to his assistant, Nathan Holmes, in 2015. In them, the actor asks for a number of drugs. In and of itself, these texts are scandalous and lawbreaking enough as is. However, they’re of particular importance to the Heard case, as they were sent shortly before the actor’s ex-wife claimed to have endured a “three-day ordeal of physical assaults.”
The judge assigned to the case, Justice Nicholl, did not receive the texts kindly. In a statement, he expressed his opinion that Depp’s legal team ought to have disclosed this information the moment their trial began. “The Australian drug texts were adverse to the claimant’s pleaded case,” he said. “I agree the timing is significant.”
Nichol reportedly offered Depp’s team an opportunity to rectify the situation by applying for “relief against sanctions” prior to the trial, which is set to start on July 7th at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. While the judge did not condone of Depp’s actions, he did acknowledge that the actor has always been honest about his drug use in the past, and furthermore maintains that the messages, despite their content, cannot prove any drugs were indeed bought and consumed.
Recent developments in Depp’s personal life do not bode well for the actor’s career. With more and more celebrities being accused of assault, it’s not unthinkable the case will soon tip in Heard’s favor again. Even so, Johnny Depp continues to remain onboard the successful Fantastic Beasts franchise as its chief antagonist and, according to some reports, is even being eyed to play the Joker in upcoming DCEU movies.