Johnny Depp Receives Support From Twitter After Same Judge Denies Appeal

Johnny Depp filed an appeal after losing his libel case against The Sun, but the same judge who handled the trial dismissed his petition. However, his fans remain supportive of his legal battle.

Depp's appeal in the U.K. libel case against the British tabloid has been denied, The Times reported. Judge Andrew Nicol refused to give the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor permission to appeal after he ruled that the tabloid’s move of calling him a "wife-beater" was "substantially true."

Nicol dismissed the petition saying an appeal did not have a "reasonable prospect of success."

"The findings of fact by a first instance tribunal (particularly one, such as myself, who has heard oral evidence) are rarely open to challenge on appeal," Nicol said in his ruling.

"In any event, I do not consider that the proposed grounds of appeal have a reasonable prospect of success (and that is also the case so far as the grounds of appeal suggest that I erred in principle or in law) and there is not some other compelling reason why permission to appeal should be granted."

Depp was ordered to pay about $840,000 to News Group Newspapers, which owns the tabloid, for legal costs.

Twitter users reacted after learning that Depp’s appeal was denied by the same judge who handled his libel case against The Sun. Many of them questioned why Nicol had to approve Depp’s appeal when he already ruled that Depp was a “wife-beater” and a judge rarely changes his mind, one commented.

"This is just bizarre. Appeals should not remotely go back to the Judge. Also look how fast he responded. Very clear he read nothing," one added.

"The denial of Johnny Depp’s appeal just goes to show that we have a long way to go for justice. It may have been a libel case, but one that has now further damaged a male survivor. Once again, the system fails to support and help men of domestic violence. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp," another added.

Some of Depp’s fans remain supportive. They encouraged Depp to take his appeal to the Court of Appeals or to the High Court after Nicol’s rejection.

"Johnny Depp can now appeal for High Court. Do it king! I don’t see why he won’t and this probably was the plan all along. Judge Nicole obviously denied it and they knew he would. Also why tf would a trial judge accept an appeal against his on verdict? That’s the stupidest sh-t," another supporter added.

"I'm not quitting, I'm staying and fighting back, and you should stay, too! Johnny needs us!" one wrote.

"Correction: Johnny Depp can apply. He can go directly to the Court of Appeal," another commented after one wrote that Depp wasn't allowed to appeal.

Meanwhile, some believed that it would be best for Depp to just move on from the issue as the legal battle would cost him more.

"Best for him, really. Would cost him more money - and to achieve what? Time to move forward to a brighter future, not to stick around and mud-wrestle with the past," one wrote.