London, Nov 26 (AP) A judge has refused Johnny Depp permission to appeal against a British court's ruling that he assaulted ex-wife Amber Heard.

Earlier this month a High Court judge rejected Depp's claim that a newspaper had committed libel when it called him a "wife-beater." Judge Andrew Nicol said the article in The Sun was "substantially true."

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Depp is seeking to overturn the judgement.

But in a setback for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star, Nicol denied permission to appeal, saying "I do not consider that the proposed grounds of appeal have a reasonable prospect of success."

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In a ruling made public on Wednesday, the judge also ordered Depp to make an initial payment of almost 630,000 pounds (USD 840,000) to News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, to cover its legal fees.

Depp can still apply directly to the Court of Appeal, and has until December 7 to do so.

The judge's main ruling came after a three-week trial in which Depp and Heard gave conflicting accounts of their brief, tempestuous marriage.

In the wake of the decision, Depp said he was leaving the "Fantastic Beasts" film franchise after studio Warner Bros. requested his resignation.

Depp is also suing Heard for USD 50 million in Virginia over a Washington Post op-ed essay that she wrote about domestic violence. The essay talks about her experience being abused but does not name Depp. The trial is due to be held next year. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)