Johnny Depp libel lawsuit against The Sun heads to trial

Johnny Depp's libel lawsuit against a U.K. tabloid is going forward to trial.

A judge on Thursday said the case can proceed and rejected an effort by The Sun to have it dismissed, The Associated Press reports. Depp filed a libel lawsuit against News Group Newspapers, The Sun's publisher, and against executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article calling him a "wife beater" in reference to his ex-wife Amber Heard's domestic abuse allegations, which he has denied.

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But the judge said on Thursday that "despite the breach which I have found ... I am not persuaded that the trial of the claim would be unfair," per the Reporter.

According to the AP, Depp and Heard are both expected to give evidence during the trial, which is set to begin on July 7 and is expected to last about three weeks.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.