After a blistering dispute that spanned continents and years, Hollywood A-lister Rebel Wilson has been found not to have defamed her co-star in a series of social media posts.
The Pitch Perfect star was sued by Australian actor Charlotte MacInnes, who played the lead role in Wilson’s directorial debut film The Deb.
After the verdict on Wednesday, Wilson thanked the judge and the Australian legal system, saying the process had tested her and reinforced her belief in “standing up for what I believe is right, while continuing to create work that brings people joy”.
MacInnes claimed Wilson defamed her in a series of social media posts that implied she was a liar and a sellout who walked back a sexual harassment complaint to further her career.
The posts alleged the young actor confided in Wilson – and later recanted – that she felt uncomfortable when the film’s co-producer Amanda Ghost asked to have a shower and a bath together.
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MacInnes denied making or retracting a complaint, insisting she had not been uncomfortable when the pair shared a bath in their swimwear after Ghost suffered a medical episode in September 2023.
Two months after the conclusion of the hotly contested court battle in the federal court, justice Elizabeth Raper found in favour of Wilson.
“MacInnes has failed to establish that the publications have caused or were likely to cause serious harm,” she said on Wednesday.
MacInnes’ barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, accused Wilson of a “complete revision of history” littered with dishonesty during her emphatic closing address in May.
“She is a fantastical liar who has made up terrible, terrible allegations about multiple people and her own witnesses have discredited her,” she said.
“We say Ms Wilson cannot be believed on anything she has said.”
But Wilson repeatedly denied accusations she fabricated the complaint or raised it for leverage during disputes with her co-producers over the film’s budget and writing credit.
“I am known as a truth-teller,” she declared during the hearing.
That was what she had been doing when she posted the stories to her 11 million social media followers, the Bridesmaids star said. “I don’t classify it as an attack, I classify it as telling the truth,” she told the court.
Her barrister, Dauid Sibtain SC, said his client had “no motive to lie” about something that would endanger her film by driving a wedge between her lead actor and a producer.
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Instead, he accused MacInnes of dishonestly withdrawing the complaint about Ghost to ensure her relationship with the producer continued to be fruitful.
MacInnes had received a lead role in a stage production and a six-figure record deal that were linked to Ghost, he argued, and she wanted to ensure she continued to rise.
“MacInnes is someone who gave false evidence under oath,” he said.
“[She] has suffered no harm, let alone serious harm.”
The young actor sought aggravated damages for the harm allegedly caused by the posts, including anxiety and a period without work.
In a social media post published after the verdict, Wilson said directing Australian music comedy The Deb was her “dream job”.
“[The Deb] was my dream job … my directorial debut, a celebration of Australian stories, and something I poured years of passion into alongside an incredible cast and crew. Seeing that journey disrupted has been incredibly difficult, but I have always believed it was a story worth telling.
“This process has taught me a lot. It has tested me, but it has also reinforced something I’ve always believed. I want to live my life standing up for what I believe is right, while continuing to create work that brings people joy.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me. I’m grateful this chapter has reached its conclusion and I’m looking forward to getting back to what I love most, my family and my work. Thank you to the Judge and the Australian legal system who I have the utmost respect for”.