- Johnny Depp’s sister Christi Dembrowski testified Tuesday at his defamation trial against Amber Heard, who accused him of domestic violence.
- She testified that her mother physically abused her and Depp during their childhood.
- Depp vowed not to continue this in his own household, his sister said.
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One of Johnny Depp’s sisters took a stand at his defamation trial on Tuesday, telling the jury that he vowed never to continue domestic violence after becoming a victim himself.
Depp’s sister Christi Dembrowski, testifying at the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia, described her experience of a mother who was “tense, nervous” and often “angry” in a way that erupted into violence.
Her mother, Betty Sue Palmer, often hit her husband and children, Dembrowski testified. Depp never fought back and always tried to “keep the peace,” she said. And years later, she said, they told themselves they would never treat their own families the same way.
“As we got older, once we had our own home, we decided that we would never repeat anything similar to our childhood in our own home,” Dembrowski testified Tuesday afternoon.
Dembrowski, who is three years older than 58-year-old Depp, is the first witness to testify in the trial, which began with opening statements on Tuesday. Depp filed a 2019 lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, who divorced him in 2016, alleging that she defamed him when she described herself as a victim of domestic violence in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed.
In return, Heard filed a counterclaim against Depp, alleging that he punched her on at least 10 separate occasions, often while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Depp’s attorneys have said the allegations were fabricated and that Heard was the real perpetrator in the relationship.
Depp has already lost a lawsuit in the UK, where he sued The Sun, a British tabloid, for calling him a “wife beater” over Heard’s allegations. His new lawsuit, which was filed against Heard in Fairfax County, Virginia, faces great odds, experts say, since Britain has much friendlier defamation laws for plaintiffs.
But the lawsuit may be the only way for Depp to clear his name and salvage his career. The process is just beginning when Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore hits theaters. The Harry Potter film was once set to star Depp – he played one of the main characters in the previous film The Crimes of Grindelwald – but was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in November 2020. Warner Bros. urged Depp to withdraw from the series around the time of his trial in the UK, when Heard testified against him.
In addition to losing the Fantastic Beasts role, Depp — once one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars — lost a starring role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which Disney would drop shortly after the release of Heard’s Washington post op-ed. In court filings, Depp blames Heard for his career failure.
When questioned by Depp’s attorney, Benjamin Chew, Dembrowski said she and Depp’s mother often hit her and threw objects at her. She said whenever her mother wanted to hit them, she told them to get a rod that was “nice and green” from a tree in front of the house.
“They didn’t break,” said Dembrowski. “If you have a dry one, it would break.”
Dembrowski eventually left the household at age 17, she testified, when she married and became pregnant. Her father left her mother shortly thereafter after years of abuse, she said.
“Our father decided one morning to pack everything up and leave early in the morning,” she said. “We didn’t know at the time.”
An additional hotel room
Years later, Depp took care of her mother. As she dealt with neurological health issues, Depp placed her in homes where she felt more comfortable, flew her to specialist doctors across the country, and hired private nurses, Dembrowski said. While he was away filming, Dembrowski sent him daily updates on her mother’s condition, she said. The two took it upon themselves to take care of their health, she said.
“Mom softened as she got older,” she said.
Depp, Dembrowski said, was able to turn his life around and ensure there would be no pattern of domestic violence. He was a devoted father.
“Everything in life revolved around the children. When he was with the kids – the attention he was giving them, he just kept playing with them, listening to them, laughing with them, reading to them. Parties – you name it and he’s been there.
Christi Dembrowski, Johnny Depp’s older sister, testifies during the actor’s defamation case against Amber Heard in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Virginia, on April 12, 2022. Brendan Smialowski/Pool via REUTERS
When Depp and Heard moved in together, Dembrowski said his mood changed. He seemed “sader,” she said. Depp and Heard often argued, and Dembrowski said she made sure an extra hotel room was booked whenever they traveled together.
“I saw a repeating pattern in life. When we were kids and there were arguments and fights, our first thing was to hide and get away from it,” Dembrowski said. “Recognizing what felt like a repeat to me, a pattern from his childhood, I wanted to make sure there was a place where he could do just that.”
She said that Heard – who was in her 20s at the time of the relationship – mocked Depp, calling him “an old fat man.” When Depp told Heard that Dior wanted to do a campaign with him, their reaction was “disbelief and disgust,” Dembrowski said.
“She said, ‘Dior? Why would Dior want to do business with you? It’s about class and it’s about style, and you don’t have style,'” Dembrowski said. “It was an insult – taking that one moment away, that insult is there. I have seen the insults several times.”