The actor lost his initial libel suit in November.
Johnny Depp is heading to the U.K. Court of Appeal. The 57-year-old actor filed an application with the Court of Appeal this month, following a London court's November ruling that The Sun, and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, was justified in its use of the phrase "wife beater" in a 2018 article about Depp's relationship with his ex-wife, Amber Heard, according to publicly available records, first spotted by Press Association.
Depp sued News Group Newspapers (publisher of The Sun) and Wootton after the 2018 article, and the two sides faced off in court back in July.
Depp's lawyer, David Sherborne, argued in court that the article's use of the term "wife beater" was a "reputation-destroying, career-ending" allegation. Depp has denied that he was ever violent toward Heard, 34.
Meanwhile, Sasha Wass, lawyer for News Group Newspapers, argued that Depp "regularly and systematically abused his wife" and therefore the "wife beater" description The Sun used was accurate.
In Judge Andrew Nicol's ruling, he said, "the Defendants have shown that what they published in the meaning which I have held the words to bear was substantially true," Deadline reports.
After the ruling, Heard's U.S. counsel, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, said that the court's "decision and judgment are not a surprise."
Depp was "asked to resign" from his role in the Fantastic Beasts film franchise following the ruling, the actor shared on social in media in November. In his statement at the time, Depp shared his plans to appeal the ruling.
"The surreal judgment of the court in the U.K. will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal," Depp said. "My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time."
Mads Mikkelsen has been cast in Depp's Fantastic Beast role.
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