Johnny Depp has been denied permission to appeal to a UK judge’s ruling in a defamation trial that he assaulted his ex-wife, Amber Heard. A court said the star could not challenge the rejection of his libel lawsuit against publisher of The Sun newspaper for labelling him a “wife beater” in an article. 

High Court Justice ruled in November that allegations against Depp, made in the article, were “substantially true,” because Depp had assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions and put her in fear for her life three times, according to The Hollywood Reporter.