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Who is Debbie Depp? Johnny Depp’s sister expected to take the stand in defamation trial

The defamation trial between the 58-year-old actor and his ex-wife Amber Heard will reportedly resume on May 16 after a break
UPDATED MAY 16, 2022
Johnny Depp's sister Debbie Depp is a Kentucky native (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Johnny Depp's sister Debbie Depp is a Kentucky native (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Johnny Depp’s sister Debbie Depp will reportedly testify in the defamation trial once the court proceedings resume. The current legal battle between the 58-year-old actor and his ex-wife Amber Heard is expected to recommence on May 16 after it went on a break as Judge Penney Azcarate, chairing the case, had to go for a pre-scheduled conference.

The ongoing case is the result of a 2018 op-ed written for The Washington Post by Heard in which she called herself a domestic violence survivor. She had written, “Like many women, I had been harassed and sexually assaulted by the time I was of college age. But I kept quiet — I did not expect filing complaints to bring justice. And I didn’t see myself as a victim. Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out,” in the essay titled ‘I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change’.

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Though the 36-year-old actress had not named Depp in the op-ed, his legal team claimed it defamed him. They sued her for $50 million but in return, Heard countersued the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star for $100 million. As the trial started in April, an insider from the ‘Aquaman’ actress’ side said, “He threatened to ruin her career and inflict global humiliation upon her, and after losing in the UK, this is his last gasp attempt. A jury verdict against Johnny will send a message to the millions of women out there who suffer from intimate partner violence every single day, that they can move safely on with their lives. And it will allow Amber to move on as well.”

Actors Amber Heard (L) and Johnny Depp attend the 8th Annual HEAVEN Gala presented by Art of Elysium and Samsung Galaxy at Hangar 8 on January 10, 2015, in Los Angeles, California (Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Art of Elysium)

Who is Debbie Depp?

Debbie is reportedly Johnny Depp’s half-sister. The duo shares the same mother -- late Betty Sue Palmer. As per reports, Debbie, born in May 1956, doesn't like to be in the limelight and lives in Lexington, Kentucky, and apparently teaches at an elementary school.

There is not much information available about Debbie, unlike the ‘Edward Scissorhands' star’s other sister Christi Dembrowski, who is a film producer. The 61-year-old had given her testimony in court before it was adjourned. She had supported her younger brother against Heard’s accusations of him being violent and abusive.

Actor Johnny Depp (C), his late mother Betty Sue Palmer (L), and former girlfriend Vanessa Paradis attend the 76th Annual Academy Awards on February 29, 2004, at the Kodak Theater, in Hollywood, California (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Recalling their childhood days and the nature of their mother, Dembrowski told the court, “We would run and hide. She would hit us. She would throw things. Really early on as a young child, none of what was happening in our home felt good. And so, as I got older, both Johnny and I decided that once we left, once we had our own home, we were never going to repeat, ever, anything similar in any way to our childhood. We were gonna do it different.”

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard attend The UK Premiere of 'The Rum Diary' on November 3, 2011, in London, England (Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)

Dembrowski, who apparently also was her brother’s personal manager in the past, said that she noticed a recurrence of Depp’s traumatic childhood after he got married to Heard. She added, “When they were traveling I wanted to make sure there was an extra room because it wasn't unusual for them to have an argument. I saw a repeat happening in life. When we were kids and arguments and fighting would start to happen. Our first thing to do was go and hide and get away from it. I recognized what felt to me like a repeat pattern from his childhood. I wanted to make sure there was a place he could do just that.”

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