<p>LONDON — Lawyers for Johnny Depp moved to overturn a British court ruling that he assaulted his ex-wife, Amber Heard, by arguing Thursday that Heard did not donate all of her $7 million divorce settlement to charity as she claimed.</p>
<p>The Hollywood star is seeking permission to appeal the November verdict in his libel lawsuit against The Sun newspaper for labeling him a “wife beater” in an April 2018 article. Depp lost the case following a three-week trial in July.</p>
<p>High Court Justice Andrew Nicol ruled that lawyers for Sun publisher News Group Newspapers proved during the trial that the allegations against Depp, made in a April 2018 article, were “substantially true.”</p>
<p>The judge ruled that Depp, 57, assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions and put her in fear for her life three times. </p>
<p>On Thursday, Depp’s lawyers argued for an appeal based on what they said was fresh evidence that Heard did not donate the entire amount of her $7-million divorce settlement to two charities. </p>
<p>Lawyer Andrew Caldecott said the donation claims gave Heard a “considerable boost to her credibility as a person” and that they had “tipped the scales against Mr. Depp from the very beginning.”</p>
<p>“It’s a false plus to her and a false minus to him,” he told the judge.</p>
<p>Neither Depp nor Heard were present for the hearing in London. </p>
