After six weeks of testimony, Johnny andAmber Heard were found liable of defamation.
It's not clear how the actors will recover their public image after the trial.
PR experts say Heard could lose out on a lot of her career and reputation due to the damages she was awarded.
After six weeks of testimony, a jury in Virginia found Johnny Depp and Amber Heard liable for defamation.
After the verdict, the actor said he was at peace.
A new chapter has begun and the best is yet to come, according to the actor.
She said the "disappointment" she felt in the jury's verdict was beyond words.
She said in a statement that she was "heartbroken that the mountain of evidence was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex- husband."
Apart from the monetary compensation from the case, public relations experts say it remains to be seen how Depp and Heard's public images and careers will fare after the trial, which was filled with shocking revelations, audio recordings, photos, and video footage from their tumultuous years-long relationship.
The implications of the trial are far-reaching, and I think we're going to see them for some time, according to Evan Nierman, CEO of Red Banyan. Nierman said that Heard has more work to do to recover from the trial.
Nierman thinks Depp's career would have survived. If he hadn't taken this bold step of fighting her in court, he would be on another level when it comes to celebrity.
"Amber Heard was a virtual unknown until this trial, so this was not the introduction that she would've wanted in terms of continuing her career," he said. Johnny was always going to be okay. That's even more assured now that the verdict has come out the way that it has.
Fred Cook is the director of the Center of Public Relations at the University of Southern California. After the trial, Heard dropped her PR team.
Cook told Insider that the fact that she had to change horses was a sign that something wasn't right. It's similar to when you change your staff in a political campaign.
"Depp had some smart people working for him, and I think it paid off in the end," Cook said. "He presented himself better, gained the moral support of the people around the court and the people watching, and he wasn't able to garner that sympathy that he did."
Cook echoed Nierman's sentiment that Heard's career could have been ruined by the trial, as it was not a flattering portrayal of both of them.
Her career opportunities will be limited because of this. She's going to be more famous, but I'm not sure that she's going to have big roles in movies and TV.
The public nature of the trial could prompt other celebrities and well-known figures to second-guess their own defamation case pursuit.
If we hadn't watched their lives through the course of this trial, we wouldn't have understood the depths of depravity.
"I think a lot of celebrities who might have been inclined to step into the fray in the way that Amber did, they're going to think twice about it unless they have the facts to back themselves up because otherwise they could end up doing irreparable harm to their reputation and their revenue,"
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