Johnny Depp has lost his highly publicized libel case against the publisher of Britain's The Sun newspaper, whose claim that he was an abusive husband sparked a courtroom showdown between the Hollywood star and his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, earlier this year.

Citing evidence, including photos, audio recordings and Depp's own text messages, lawyers for the newspaper group argued in court filings that Depp "beat his wife Amber Heard, causing her to suffer significant injury, and on occasion leading to her fearing for her life."

Depp had admitted long-term problems with drugs and alcohol during the trial but said the tabloid's claims that he was violent toward Heard were "completely untrue." However, Judge Andrew Nicol said in his 129-page judgment Monday that the paper's claims had been shown to be "substantially true."

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Johnny Depp loses his UK libel case against News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, over a 2018 article that alleged the actor was violent towards Amber Heard. More from the court, at the link in bio.

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"I have reached these conclusions having examined in detail the 14 incidents on which the defendants rely, as well as the over-arching considerations which the claimant submitted I should take into account," the judge said.